Cold sweat broke through barriers, eyes were manipulated in such a way that it's strained to be kept unfolded; its pure field of white is thrown in a barren place, and deprived it from its deserving liquid nourishment. In an isolated place, everything but that fell on a whole dotted beat silence.

          Slouched onto the metal supports, temples are scrunched together into a crease, he could only exhaust his humid and tensed air out of him, but to only be worthy of nothing as his body continuously overheated.

          "What the heck happened?" Chase and Rocky were seen to be running forth him along the long strip of white hallways — their voices of worrisome echoed through the rectangular prism that we're made to link one place to another — weaving through the mesh of people that are flowing in and out of the halls. Both were panting, fatigued, though reached him instantly somehow with determination.

           He could only look at them with hot tears running down his face, and bitter-coated lips that hung agape onto his face. Completely, he looked a mess and seemed he's been thinking for hours as Everest is being assessed in the ER.

          Silently sitting beside him, they could only look forlorn, for they too, are lost for words. Cursed by the necromancers of the moment, they had lost the ability to speak, as the weight had only grown heavier, unable to utter a single complaint about it; neither of them minded anyway, and would rather have their bones crushed into fine grains — to one of the three at the very least.

          As a soft and warm yellowish light spilled into the filtered sanitized hallways, two nurses have emerged from there, and a man in his fifties followed them after. Between his hands, he clasped his note board, most likely having documents of his observations and prescriptions of every patient he's handling; most likely, the Husky is included too.

          Quick on his paws, he stood up and looked directly into his eyes, searching for answers that underlie within those prescripted frames he wears and makes him up. As digits piled up into minutes, a relieved yet professional smile had appeared on his face.

          "You must be her friends, correct?" His eyes dart from the set behind him and back to them, to which the three nodded politely.

         "Everest is doing well, despite having second-degree burns and having to inhale sulfur dioxide and other several chemical substances. She's lucky it was prevented immediately by getting her treated to the ER immediately. To whatever caused her to fall into this state, please avoid it at all cost and leave her to fully recover." The professional health assessor then took its leave, leaving the breathless trio on their seats.

"What exactly happened, Marshall?"

          Marshall went to find recruits of people to help extinguish the fire before he decided to dash into the burning household — which is barely a structure at this point. Upon entering, his paws stung of burnt ashes and emitted a foul smell — suffocating him along the process. But time is slipping like grains of sand, and worrying too much about this will both just pose danger to him.

          Leaping off of fallen down structural posts, he yelled for her name in the midst of the crackle and prattle of the blaze, he saw nothing but silhouettes that would burn right in front of him. Fear had crossed his mind and foreboding thought of what the worst outcome may occur.

          Ashes that swirled around him were being dispersed with every cough he made and dodged the fingers of the inferno that wanted to get a hold of him too. In a heartbeat, he found Everest limping her way to the exit with a young girl on her back. Both were dusted with chemicals and are trying to grasp onto the sliver of hope and life they have.

          Quickly, he ran to her side and cleverly transferred the victim onto his back. "Go, I'll be fine," she whispered, throat all hoarse and withered of liquid. Nodding, he internally made a promise to himself to quicken his pace and come back for her and get her out of danger instantly.

          Outside, the youthful lass' two beautiful parents were waiting, dewy-eyed at the catastrophe that's playing loosely in front of them. Upon sight of their daughter, all powder from the fire's touch, they could only burst into acid and wrap their warm arms around the now safe child of theirs.

          "Alright," he thought to himself, after dropping off the one Everest had rescued "It's her turn." as he turned his back, before he could take a paw off of the ground he is on, he heard a spine-chilling shrill from the set behind him. 

           No longer was the place crestfallen of winter wonders, a place where sweat used to be a car ride to the moon, everything has shriveled into hell and made that possible.

"EVEREST!"

          The trio had entered into her ward, all mouths zipped without a key to unlock them. Within the room, she lays on her bed peacefully, her face showing no hostility nor pain that pulses to keep her awake. An oxygen line was connected to her while some of her limbs were covered with bandages. Beside her, is a tear-soaked winter fox that held her paws softly and delicately; he could only look at her silently with unsaid thoughts.

          At that moment, he caught a glimpse of a specific someone and stood up immediately, him standing on his four paws already. "You, me, outside, now." and walked out immediately without a clear detail of what they are to do. To the three's surprise, they could only blink in astonishment, but all knew who Eirwen wanted to talk with — the pointing helped.

          Neither questioned it, and the answer had already appeared in front of them.

         As the Dalmatian exited the ward from only entering a second ago, he closed the door behind them as he faced the white fox that looked disappointed with an undertone of anger boiling underneath it all.

          "What the h*ll are you two doing here in Ashmont?"

          He scoffed at this in half-amusement and annoyance "I thought you were happy to see her? Why the sudden change of reaction?"

          In response to this, the tundra fox could only roll his eyes in indignation. Clearly not wanting to deal with his crap, he sat himself down, an act that he gives to himself kindly, and he knew too well that keeping himself in composure will bless him with more glorious days to come; for now, it's not about fist-talk. 

          "I'm glad I've finally seen her for years. But I've told her to run away from this.. Island wholly; because trouble always follows me, and I couldn't bear to see her suffer because of me."

          Taking a seat beside him, he looked upon the white-washed walls. Purity is what reminded the Dalmatian of; he could only sigh in frustration when his thoughts came to an end. He threaded his fur skywards and looked at the solemn tod, who had his eyes glued upon the door that separates him from the one who's admitted in there.

          "You still love her, don't you?" he whispers not too loudly, which was equal to a million decibels for him, that he flinched immediately at his statement. Those eyes that he kept for long years, that part of him where some could agree they're the best part of him — where his true self is kept hidden — looked forth the Dalmatian, who looked at him questioningly.

           Forcefully pinning his back onto the metal supports, he agreed that his statement was true.

          "Then, make the most of it. You've wasted years for that; you have no idea how much she misses you.. It was as if you were her prized treasure." a smile crosses upon his face as he reminisced the moment the two of them shared, back on the ferry, where all their worries were separated and washed away by straits.

          "Don't f*ck this up Eirwen, or I'm haunting you in your dreams." He humorously said, wanting to ruffle his peaceful lake for the time being.