Everest looked out the window of the grounded Air Patroller. They wouldn't dare take off in a blizzard, so they were using the plane as a shelter. The snow had begun to settle, and some visibility had been regained. "I think it's almost over." Said Zuma, who was also looking out the window. Tracker sighed with relief. "Oh, thank goodness! I'm not used to winter storms." He said. This made sense, as he lived in the jungle. "Nobody here is except maybe Jake and Everest." Rocky retorted. Skye rolled her eyes.

"We don't live in a blizzard-prone area, but occasionally one blows through. By no means, however, are me and Jake used to them." Said Everest. "Well, maybe Jake is. I get scared every time and he's just like 'wow Everest come look how hard the wind is blowing' or 'do you see how much snow there is?' and I'm just like 'yeah exactly that's why I'm under the table'!" Jake raised a brow. "It's true." Said Everest. She whimpered. "But this time I'm just worried about Chase." Rocky gave her a look. "And Marshall." She added. "Hey! The blizzard is over, officially!" Cried Rubble. Everest quickly turned back to the window. Sure enough, the storm had passed. 

Ryder zipped up his coat. "Pups, get ready. We're going out to find Marshall and Chase." He said. "I really hope they're okay." Said Skye. Tracker immediately jumped off his seat to stand next to her. "Me too." He said. Zuma of course felt the same way, but he thought it was odd that Tracker had rushed to Skye's side so quickly just to say it. He decided to watch him more closely. Robodog opened the door of the plane. The pups all held down their toboggans as they were shocked with the cold remainder of the blizzard's wind. At least the sun was out. Everest stepped into the snow and yelped in surprise when she sank in up to her belly. The snow was definitely deeper now.

Skye went past her, chin-deep because she was smaller. "Let's go." She said, struggling to move forward. Rocky sniggered, pushing through the snow after her. Everest looked down. She was so worried about Chase. What if he was hurt? What if he had frostbite? What if he'd gone hypothermic? What if he was-- no, she wasn't gonna go any further. She bounded through the snow, down the hill. She saw Rubble go one way, Skye another, Zuma another, and Tracker yet another. She saw Ryder and Jake go in another direction as well. She lifted her snout and sniffed. Nothing. She turned completely away from where the other pups were searching. She sniffed. She smelled Chase. Chase and something else.

The scent of the other thing smelled dead and cold and encased with ice. It stung her nostrils like vinegar. She moved towards the scent of the thing, mixed with Chase's scent. It led her to an abnormality in the snow: a lump. She dug at it. Underneath the snow was a broken black collar...with Chase's pup tag attached to it. She picked it up in her front paws, kneeling. She sniffed the collar, breathing in Chase's scent. She told herself that she wasn't going to cry. Not yet. They could still find him. She gripped the collar in her paws and looked around. Then she saw something bizarre. Leading away from where she'd found the collar were blue, glowing footprints, unlike any animal tracks she'd ever seen. They led off into the distance.

Ryder came up to her. "Did you find anything?" He asked. Everest kept staring at the footprints. "Do you see those tracks?" She asked. Ryder scanned the ground. "What tracks?" Everest touched one with a paw. "Right here." She said. Ryder looked confused. "Everest, there's nothing there, I don't see anything." Everest got a funny feeling. What was she seeing that he couldn't see? "I-I found this." She said quickly, changing the subject. She held up Chase's broken collar. Ryder snatched it up and quickly examined it.

"Chase's collar!? How could it have gotten ripped off like this!?" He exclaimed. "Maybe he was attacked." Said Everest. She glanced at the tracks. "Or taken." Silence ensued. "I FOUND MARSHALL!" Tracker cried. Ryder and Everest ran back towards the other pups. Tracker had the dalmatian leaning against his shoulder, shaking. Everyone gathered around. "I-I-I c-couldn't save him..." Marshall whimpered. "I l-looked for him, b-but I was t-too late..." Skye threw a blanket over him. "Wait, who?" She asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew. "Ch-Ch-Chase!" Chattered Marshall, distraught. He-he went missing, s-so I called to him. He called my name, but I c-c-couldn't get to him. He called for help, b-but I couldn't find him. Th-then he screamed 'It's got me!' a-and suddenly v-v-v-vanished!" All the pups gasped. Everest and Ryder shared an uneasy glance. 

"Marshall--" Ryder stopped himself. He kneeled down and showed Marshall the broken collar. Marshall's eyes widened. So did the rest of the pups'. "Oh, no, no, no..." Sighed Skye. Marshall's legs shook. He drew in a long, desperate breath. "It's all my fault!" He cried. Then, he passed out.

***********************************************

The fire crackled in the hearth. Marshall lay unconscious next to it, under a blanket. The pups, Ryder, and Jake had gone back out to look for Chase. Skye had stayed behind to look after Marshall. Tracker had decided to stay as well. He was laying on a chair, his ears pinned back. He watched Marshall's slow, peaceful breathing. Skye walked in, carrying a bowl of warm water and a rag. She sat down by Marshall and began gently washing his face. 

"Can I ask what that does to help him?" Asked Tracker. Skye continued washing. "I don't know if it helps at all, honestly. I just think he'll feel better if his face isn't so dry. The cold can really dry out the skin." She said. Tracker nodded in understanding. He jumped down onto the floor. "Well, while you're doing that, is there anything you wanna talk about?" He asked. Skye shrugged. Tracker flattened his ears against his skull. "Do you like Marshall? Like, like-like him?" He asked. Skye immediately burst out laughing. "Oh, no! I only like him as a friend. In fact, he's only interested in helping me with the pup I DO like!" She said. Then she immediately stopped laughing and got quiet, eyes wide. She'd let it slip. Hopefully Tracker wouldn't ask who it was that she liked.

Tracker perked one ear up. "Who is it?" He asked.

OOOOH DAAAAANG.......

"W-b-ehh- who do you like?" Skye blurted, trying to change the subject. She looked kind of like she'd looked that time she'd watched Marshall crash head-first into a pile of manure. Tracker ignored Skye's facial expression and pointed his nose at the floor, blushing bright red. "You." 

***********************************************

Ryder, Jake and the pups looked all over for Chase. Everest got that scent again-- that cold, dead, icy thing scent. She followed it again and again came to the glowing footprints. She sniffed one and wrinkled her nose up at it. There was no Chase scent present on the footprints, only on the wind. The prints just had the thing's stench clinging to them. She felt that they should follow them.

"Over here, everyone!" She called. Everyone rushed over. "Everest, this is where we found the collar." Said Ryder. "I know." Everest said. "I saw tracks and you couldn't see them. I see them now. I'm telling you, I see footprints." She sniffed. "And I smell Chase and something else that reeks, like really reeks." Rocky sniffed. "I can smell Chase, but I don't smell anything else." He said. "Smelling Chase is enough for me! Everest, lead the way!" Said Zuma. Everest, thankful that someone agreed they should go this way, started following the tracks.