There was nothing better after a long, cold winter day outside than a big, warm mug of hot chocolate.

It was seasonal. It was festive. It was hot and rich and there were no problems that it couldn't solve. Too cold outside to make a proper snow angel? Hot chocolate. A friend hit you in the eye with a snowball? Hot chocolate. The sun sets too early and there's nothing to do before bedtime? Hot chocolate. It was quite possibly the best thing humans ever invented.

At least, that's how Everest felt about it. And at least one other pup felt a similar way.

"Do you even know how to make hot chocolate?" Rubble prodded as Everest dragged him into the Lookout's kitchen as quietly as she could, sneaking past the one or two pups lounging in the Lookout's observatory. It'll be a fun surprise, the husky told herself. Everyone likes fun surprises!

"I'm an expert," Everest assured. Rubble eyed her skeptically. "Okay, maybe not an expert, but I'm pretty good."

Rubble shrugged. He was easily convinced on matters that involved something edible. "Count me in. How hard could it be?"

"Right? We're two smart pups!"

Everest climbed on the counter, then nervously looked over her shoulder. Ryder probably wouldn't be too thrilled with her if he caught her up there. Jake even less so. It's for the greater good, the husky thought. Sometimes rules have to be broken for the greater good. And making hot chocolate for everyone is definitely the greater good. Definitely. Totally. This is so gonna be worth it.

Everest sniffed out which cabinet had the hot chocolate mix and swung the door open with her paw.

"Hot Dogolate," Everest said. "That's the good brand, right?"

"Yeah, it's the good brand," Rubble nodded. "It might be the only brand for dogs."

Everest thought about it. "Huh. I guess there aren't really that many brands that make dog-safe hot chocolate mix. They've really cornered the market," she said as she grabbed the box out of the cabinet and set it on the counter. "Now comes the hard part."

"Which is?"

"Figuring out what to do next."

"You've never gotten this far?"

"I have! It's just . . . been a while," Everest lied. In truth, she had never done it before. But Rubble didn't have to know that. "All of my hot chocolate knowledge is buried under all that snow rescue stuff, you know? I just gotta warm up to the whole hot chocolate thing again."

"If you say so," Rubble said slowly, eyeing the package. "It says to pour six ounces of the mix into a cup of hot water and then put the cup in the microwave for a minute and a half."

Everest blinked. "I hope each of these packets is six ounces, because I'm not measuring that out."

As Everest struggled to rip the box open with her teeth, Rubble grabbed mugs off the counter and laid them all out in a row. We're making a lot of cups, the bulldog thought nervously. He could only hope that every pup plus Ryder and Jake actually wanted one, or else someone was going to have to drink two cups. Or more.

The cardboard box finally popped open, revealing eight packets of hot chocolate mix.

"There's only eight," Rubble said, peering inside. "Looks like we don't have enough for everyone."

"Not if you're creative," Everest said, grabbing a packet out of the box. Another one came up with it, connected to the first by three thin strips of paper. "These two are stuck together," she said, ripping them apart. As she did, both packets exploded, sending puffs of brown dust all over the kitchen counter. Startled, Everest fell backwards, off the counter and onto the floor.

"Are you okay?!" Rubble asked, his voice just below a shout. "What happened?"

Everest pulled herself up, her paws covered in chocolate dust. "The Hot Dogolate attacked me!"

"Are you okay? It looks like you cracked your skull!"

"I'm fine! It's the kitchen I'm worried about," Everest said, glancing wildly at the dust on the counter and floor. "Find the broom, please? We gotta clean this up before someone walks in!"

Rubble raced around the room looking for a broom. The best he could find was a small brush attached to a dustpan leaning against the wall in the corner. Close enough, the bulldog thought as he ran over to it. He threw the dustpan to Everest, who caught it in midair in her mouth.

"Nice catch," Rubble laughed as ran to where the dust covered the floor. The dust was so fine that it took Rubble three or four sweeps in each area to push it all into the pan Everest was holding in her mouth. "We're gonna have to stretch what mix we have left even thinner now," he warned. When the floor was clean, Everest dumped the dustpan's contents in the garbage and handed it back to Rubble.

"Crisis averted," she said cheerily.

"So if we have eight packets, with six ounces each, that we need to divide nine ways, minus however much just fell on the floor, how much dust is that per remaining cup?"

Everest blinked. "I don't do math." Rubble gave her an incredulous glance as he put the dustpan back where he found it. "What? You're the construction pup. You do a lot more math than I do. What, with all those measurements and conversions and . . . constructing."

"A little secret? We use calculators," Rubble smiled. "But my calculator is with my pup pack. We're not gonna be able to sneak out without a pup or two asking what we're doing. We'll just have to eyeball it."

"Good!" Everest yipped. "That's what I'm best at."

"What, guessing measurements?"

"No. Using my eyeballs."

Rubble blinked. Then burst into laughter.

"You're funny, Everest."

"And don't you forget it," the husky grinned as she jumped back onto the counter, watching her step carefully. She looked up and down at the remaining six and a half packets of mix. "Alright. I'm gonna need something sharp to cut these open to make sure it doesn't attack me again."

"We're not supposed to use scissors without Ryder watching us, though," Rubble protested.

"Well . . . what about a cereal box?"

Rubble hung his mouth open in shock. "A . . . a what?"

"Cereal boxes aren't sharp, right?" Everest rambled, walking back and forth on the counter and waving her paws like a mad scientist. "But they do have sharp cardboard edges. Maybe if we line the packets up just right, and then slam a cereal box along the edges, they'll separate."

Rubble was silent for a full five seconds.

"Everest . . . you're a genius!"

"Don't I know it!" Everest barked. "Quick, find me a cereal box!"

Rubble jumped on the counter next to Everest — with considerable more effort than the larger husky — and looked over his shoulder to check if Ryder was watching. He then tiptoed to the cereal cabinet and pulled out the first box he saw.

"Would Happy-O's be good?" Rubble asked. Everest shook her head.

"Get the Choco Puffs," she said confidently. "You know, for good luck."

"Good thinking," Rubble said, grabbing the box of Choco Puffs and handing it to her. "We gotta line these up really carefully, now," he said as he lined up the six packets on the counter, throwing two that exploded in the garbage. "I'm gonna stack them on top of each other so you only have to do it once. Take a few practice swings with that box to make sure you have it down, okay?"

"Got it," Everest nodded, slamming the box on the very edge of the counter with surprising force. As she did, the box slipped out of her paws, crashing to the ground and sending cereal all over the kitchen floor.

Neither pup moved. The husky stared longingly at the floor, while the bulldog stared in disbelief.

"Huh," Everest said calmly, tilting her head slightly in surprise. "That didn't go the way I thought it would."

"This is all going wrong!" Rubble whined. "Are you sure this is exactly how you made hot chocolate in the past?"

"Uh . . . I'm pretty sure!" Everest said, panicked. "Unless you know a better way?"

"I'm following your lead!"

"Well, I don't know what I'm doing!"

"I thought you said you were pretty good at this!"

"Yeah! Pretty good at asking Jake to do it for me," Everest frowned. Am I totally annoying?

She thought about it, then shook her head. Nah, I'm the coolest.

"So . . . you've never done this by yourself before?"

"Not exactly . . . but hey, I'm a quick learner! This is all fixable. We just gotta eat the cereal off the ground before someone walks in," she said, jumping off the counter and peeking inside the box. "Only half the box spilled out. You can eat half a box of cereal in two minutes, right?"

Rubble banged his head on the counter. "We're gonna get in so much trouble."

"Only if we're caught," Everest said, eating a mouthful of floor cereal. "This is all totally fine. Have I ever steered you wrong before?" Rubble raised a paw. "Don't answer that. Just come down here."

"Should we even be eating this?" Rubble asked, jumping off the counter and sniffing the cereal. "Isn't this chocolate?"

"It's fake chocolate," Everest said between chews, tapping the front of the box. "It says 'safe for dogs'. I don't know how it works. Jake told me about it once. Something about cocoa butter? I listened to at least half of it."

"If you say so," Rubble said skeptically, taking a few bites. It took the two pups a full five minutes to clear the floor, with Everest sweeping up whatever crumbs remained. When they were done, both pups sat down in exhaustion.

"Alright," the husky said, shaking her head. "Back to what we were doing. What were we doing again?" Everest looked at the bulldog, who shrugged. "Oh, right. We were making hot chocolate. We still gotta open the packets, don't we?" Rubble nodded. "I think I got a good practice swing in, don't you think?"

"I'll say," Rubble said. "Take the bag out before you swing it this time?"

"Good thinking," Everest said, grabbing the cereal box in her teeth and jumping back onto the counter. The husky took the bag of cereal out, set it aside, and slammed the cardboard box onto the stack of packets. Remarkably, all six connected packets came apart without exploding. "There we go! Told you it would work."

Rubble barked in excitement. "Now we're cooking!"

Everest paused. "Is it still cooking if we're making drinks and not food?"

Rubble shrugged, jumping up on the counter next to Everest. "Now we gotta measure out the mix and make sure each cup has the same amount. We have six packets and nine cups, so, uh, make sure it lasts."

"I'm way ahead of you," Everest nodded, ripping open a packet with her teeth and dumping the entire packet into the first cup. She smiled, admiring her work, and went to grab another packet when the bulldog stopped her.

"Everest!" Rubble said, peering into the cup. "We're supposed to be spreading them out, remember?"

"Oh, right," Everest said, flattening her ears. "Well . . . this one will just be the double chocolate one. The special one. Every batch has a special one, right?" Everest asked, looking up. "Do any of the other pups like double chocolate? Please say yes."

"Well, I probably do if no one else wants it," Rubble smirked. "Just be careful with the rest, okay? We're low on mix already . . . I'd hate for someone to get a cup of just water."

"Maybe we should push the cups together and pour the packs in a line," Everest said. "You know, like in the movies. That way we can be certain that the rest all get the same amount as each other."

Rubble blinked. "Everest . . . that's a great idea!"

"Right?!" Everest yipped excitedly, pushing the remaining eight mugs together in a line with her nose. "Alright. This is gonna be great, just watch. This is gonna be one for the scrapbooks. Hand me a bag, please?"

Rubble obliged, dropping a packet of hot chocolate mix in Everest's open paw. She ripped it open with her teeth and poured the mix out over the cups in a wavy, uneven line that covered most of the surrounding counter with dust. When she was done, she crumbled the packet into a ball and threw it in the general direction of the trash can, which bounced off the rim and landed on the floor.

"Perfect!" Everest said. "Now the next one."

"Uh, you might want to sweep that up first," Rubble said, cautiously handing Everest the next packet. I'm starting to have second thoughts about letting her lead this operation, the bulldog thought. The hot chocolate is already going to her head, and she hasn't even had any yet.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure it all finds its way into a cup," Everest said, tearing the next one open and pouring it out in the same uneven line over the cups. The remaining packets went a similar way until all the mugs were filled with varying amounts of hot chocolate mix, surrounded by a small pile of chocolate dust. The empty packets littered the floor around the trash can, the husky having missed every last throw. "There we go!"

"And the rest?" Rubble asked, suppressing a laugh as he gestured towards the dust pile with his head. Everest shrugged, grabbed the double chocolate mug with her mouth, and jumped off the counter with it. When she landed, half the cup spilled onto the floor in a brown puddle, which the husky lazily threw a nearby dish towel on top of.

"Just push it all into this one," Everest said, positioning the cup under the counter's edge.

"Uh . . . all of it?"

"Yeah, sure. All of it. It's double chocolate anyway, why not make it triple chocolate?"

Rubble shrugged, chuckling slightly. "You're the boss," he said, pushing the mix off the counter with his paws. Only half landed the mug below, with the rest landing on the floor and in the husky's fur. Everest sighed, picked up the dish towel, and moved it to cover both the mix and the puddle.

"There! Problem solved. Out of sight, out of mind," Everest said, grabbing the mug in her mouth and jumping back on the counter. "Now we add the water. And at some point, we're supposed to add milk, too. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Rubble shook his head frantically. "Wait wait wait, since when was milk part of the equation?"

"It goes in at some point. We'll just add it at the end after it comes out of the microwave, no big deal," Everest shrugged, setting the mug in the sink under the faucet. "I'll just eyeball the correct amount of water. We need twelve ounces. I think this mug holds twelve ounces."

"Twelve ounces or twelve fluid ounces?"

Everest looked at the bulldog. "Is there a difference?"

"I think so."

Everest paused. "Is it an important difference?"

"I think so."

Everest paused again. "Ah, whatever. We'll be fine," she said as she flipped the faucet on, filling the mug to the brim until it overflowed slightly, washing some of the mix down the drain. "Oops," she muttered. "I think we made it double chocolate again," she said with a laugh as she brought the cup back to Rubble for inspection.

"This doesn't look like hot chocolate," Rubble mused, tilting his head. "It looks more like . . . sad water with cocoa powder floating in it."

"Maybe the microwave brings it all together?" The husky dragged the first cup towards the microwave and opened the door with her nose, placing the cup gingerly inside. "We'll start with this one as a trial run. How long does it take, again?"

"A minute and a half."

Everest pushed the buttons with her nose and hit start. The microwave light kicked on and the pups watched the mug spin in circles as the seconds ticked away.

"Wait, wasn't the water supposed to be hot when we poured the mix in?" Everest asked after a minute.

"I think we're way past the instructions now, Everest."

Everest nodded thoughtfully and turned her attention back to the microwave. When it beeped, she pushed the door open and dragged the mug out. "Huh," the husky said, tilting her head. "It still looks . . . what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Bad?" Rubble offered.

"Yeah, that's the one," Everest agreed. "Maybe this is where the milk comes in?"

"Worth a try," Rubble shrugged, jumping off the counter and walking towards the fridge. "It's only a matter of time before someone walks in, Ev. We gotta finish up fast. I'll get the milk while you put the other mugs in the microwave, okay?"

"On it!" Everest said. The bulldog stopped at the fridge and, with great difficulty, nudged it open with his nose. As he looked for the milk, he heard several porcelain mugs clank together. I hope she can fit them all in there, Rubble thought with a laugh as the microwave started humming. It took Rubble a full twenty seconds to find the milk: at the very top shelf, all the way to the right. Rubble sighed. There was no way he could reach it alone without knocking down every last bottle in the fridge. I'll probably need Everest to grab it for me. She'll have some bright idea, I'm sure . . .

Rubble turned back to the counter.

"The milk is on the top —" Rubble started, stopping short once he took in what he saw. As the microwave spun with what was clearly way too many cups inside of it, the husky casually sat next to a single mug on the counter. The toaster sat in front of it, turned on its side so that the top was facing the mug. "Uh . . . what's going on here?"

"They didn't all fit in the microwave so I'm using the toaster for this last cup," Everest shrugged, as if nothing was weird at all. Rubble tilted his head and stared at her.

"You're something else, you know that?" Rubble said. "Uh, anyway . . . the milk is on the top shelf. I can't reach it by myself."

Everest looked over his shoulder. "Did you leave the fridge door open?"

Rubble looked back. "Should I have closed it?"

"Too late now," Everest laughed, jumping off the counter and running towards the fridge with Rubble close behind. "Yeah, there it is . . . all the way at the top. Well, that's no match for us, right? We're the smartest, most dedicated pups in the world. We'll have that milk in paw in two minutes," she said, flattening herself on the floor. "Here, climb on top of me."

Rubble hesitated, then laughed. "Whatever you say," he said, carefully stepping on top of Everest. He wobbled slightly as Everest stood up. "Woaahh, okay . . ." he said as he regained his balance. He reached a paw towards the milk, but was still a meter too short. "I still can't reach it! See if you can get any closer," he added. Just then, Everest turned her head towards the door, causing Rubble to stumble again. "Careful!"

"Sorry!" Everest said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I think I hear someone coming!"

Then Rubble heard it too. The unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps, and getting louder. And the footsteps were certainly human. Maybe Ryder. Maybe Jake. Maybe Mayor Goodway, for all they knew. But it was certainly someone who wouldn't be happy to see the mess the pups made. Someone with the authority to issue time out.

"Quick, pretend we're not causing trouble!" Everest said. As the husky moved to find something to clean up, Rubble lost his balance and fell to the floor. "Woah! Rubble! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Rubble said, slightly dizzy as he stood up. "The floor broke my fall a bit. I'm a bit dizzy, but I've seen Marshall survive worse . . . we gotta hide as much of this as we can, though!"

Everest laughed, looking around the kitchen. The pups had made quite a mess. Seven mugs were still spinning in the microwave. The dish towel still had a puddle of hot chocolate underneath. Her fur was still covered in brown dust. The fridge door was still open. The toaster was still on its side. The double chocolate mug was still on the counter, dripping slightly onto the counter. None of the glasses were ready to drink. And the footsteps were still getting louder.

Overwhelmed, the husky kicked the fridge door closed, jumped on the counter, grabbed the double chocolate mug, and jumped back to the floor in one quick motion. "Alright, Rubble, we've been working for about twenty minutes and this is all we have to show for it. This might be all we're gonna get. Do you think this will be enough to get us out of time out?"

Rubble shook his head. Everest collapsed on the floor in defeat as the footsteps drew closer.

"I give up," Everest said. Rubble laid down next to her, breathing heavily and rubbing his head where he fell. Seconds later, the microwave beeped, causing the husky to chuckle a bit. "I'm not getting that," she whispered, and suddenly Rubble was laughing too. "Hey," she added, holding out her paw for a paw-five. "Thanks for doing this with me."

Rubble bumped her paw with his own. "Anytime."

The pups finally heard the footsteps pass through the doorway and come to a stop. Neither pup was brave enough to look up to see who had walked in. Whoever it was went a full five seconds without speaking.

"What . . . happened here?" Jake asked slowly.

The pair laughed, pulling themselves to their feet. Everest picked up the mug and followed Rubble towards the door. The bulldog walked past Jake with tired eyes as the husky, with chocolate powder still stuck in her white fur, handed Jake a mug of warm water with hot chocolate mix floating at the top. Jake gave her a confused look as she passed by.

"We made this for you."

A/N: Welcome to the final season of Snowshots! We have two chapters left and hopefully they'll both be packaged and shipped before the month is out, but knowing me, who knows? This chapter is at least 10% more enjoyable if you're familiar with Swiss Miss. Make some, and read it again!