Topple's Winter
This story was written as a raffle prize for Topple on Furry Amino. Enjoy!
Topple emerged from the door to a small cabin, stepping into the snow outside as it crunched beneath his paws. He shook off the snow that collected in the tufts of his tail and brushed the flakes from the blue colored fur between his ears. It was cold. Cold enough for the average tourist, but not for Topple. A thin blue jacket draped over his shoulders provided all the warmth that the wolf needed. He was used to all kinds of weather in his mountain cabin, but this winter in Montana proved to be a tough one.
At the surface of the mountain, Topple could see several tourists skiing through trees and weaving through moguls. He enjoyed watching them have fun. Every week, he skied down the mountain and took up a shift teaching tourists' kids how to turn, stop, and slow down. Helping others have fun is what truly made him warm.
After throwing on his gear and snow boots, the wolf skied to the resort to visit his new students. Before him stood a teenage fox not much younger than himself with a bright orange tail and white paws. She smiled as he approached.
"Hello, my name's Topple. Will I be teaching you the basics this morning?"
"Yeah, I guess so. I say I already know how to ski but my parents are safety freaks."
Behind her, an older fox and a raccoon waved and called out to her. "Evangeline! Wait for your brother! You know he's new at this."
Evangeline rolled her eyes. "That's my brother, Max." As Max approached, Topple could tell that the raccoon was of a similar age. "Max can't ski at all."
Just then, Evangeline lost control of one ski and slowly but inevitably slid into a nearby tree. Max let out a laugh, while Topple held it in. "Looks like you need some practice after all, miss Evangeline..."
Topple took them to an isolated side of the mountain to practice. There were less people here, and he knew that steepness wouldn't be a problem for the two teens. After making sure their skis were properly fastened, Topple lined them up at the top of a small hill.
"Now I want you both to slowly come down to me, turning your skis inward when you want to slow down. Like a slice of pizza, okay?"
Evangeline's bushy tail stood stiff as she bent her knees as slid through the snow. She reached Topple at the bottom, stopped, then promptly fell over. "Close enough."
Topple giggled before offering her a hand. "That was good!"
Max's face was frozen in concentration as he mimicked his sister's moments. Much too soon, he broke out of the stance keeping him composed and slid down right into Topple. Topple steadied him, keeping him from falling face first into the snow.
"I have a feeling you're going to be a real go-getter once you get the hang of this, Max. I love your enthusiasm, but don't get too far ahead of yourself!"
"Sorry, haha!" Max smoothed his ears back and brushed the snow from his hair. "As long as I'm fast enough to beat Evie here, I don't care how many times I fall!"
"Alright you two, we're going to move over to the next hill, it's only a little steeper. Watch out for the ledge on your right. Take it slow, and stay as far to the left as possible."
The three shuffled along to the next hill. They could see the trail just beginning to open out ahead of them when Evangeline heard a scraping noise from behind. She turned just in time to spot a snowboarder round the corner. "Topple, Max look out!"
Topple turned to see the snowboarder heading right for them. Thinking quickly, he pushed Max out of the way and into the snow. Max slid several feet to the right, dangerously close to the edge. In a panic, Evangeline skied over to help her brother. Uncoordinated and unexperienced, the two began to slide in a snow covered fur-ball over the side. Topple rushed to grab them, but the snow held him back. He reached for Max's paw just in time for all three of them to fall over the side and into the snow below.
Topple emerged from the snow, dazed. He looked to his left and right, seeing skis and poles scattered across the ground. "Max? Evangeline?!"
Next to him, the snow shook. A paw emerged, then an arm. Topple stood as best he could and pulled Evangeline's arm from the fresh powder. "Let's...never do that again."
"Are you okay?" Topple's ears twitched. "We gotta find--"
"That...was...awesome!" From the tree above, Max came crashing down and landed face first in the snow, scaring Evangeline enough to fall over. "Ughhh MAX!"
Max gave a thumbs up. Topple helped him to his feet and clipped his skis back on. "Let's uhhh, get back to your parents okay? I feel like that would be best."
Max's ears drooped. "But I'm not done having fun yet!"
Evangeline pointed through the trees to a figure nearby. "Hey, that looks like the snowboarder that did this to us!" Her bright orange face turned a shade of red. "I'm going to go over there and give him a piece of my mind."
Topple looked at the figure ahead. "I wouldn't do that. It looks like there's someone with him..." Out from the trees, two wolves on skis emerged from each side of the snowboarder. "I've never seen them here before. We should ski down to the lift as soon as possible. Quick, they're coming this way.
As the three hid behind a small snowbank, the wolves passed by. "Any other instructions, boss?"
"Nope, just clear the damn mountain. I want to start the avalanche in an hour."
"Why so early?"
The wolf in the center howled with laughter. "The earlier the mountain is uninhabited, the faster we get to use it for manufacturing our product...undisturbed."
"We're getting paid for this, right?"
"I'll think about it."
Once they were gone, Max, Evangeline, and Topple came out into the clearing. Max spoke up first, his ears flat against his head. "We can't let them do that!"
Topple snarled, showing teeth. "We're not."
The group skied over to the closest lift. Topple held out his pole. "Your parents would kill me if they found out I was taking you here."
Evangeline crossed her arms and fluffed her tail. "We're practically your age. We stand just as much of a chance as you do. Besides, strength in numbers right?"
She pushed Topple and Max into the seat, climbed in, and pulled down the lap bar. Max looked at Topple with big eyes. "It's our mountain too."
At the top of the ski lift, all was silent. No one arrived to let them out. The snow blew in a harsh wind, burning their faces. Evangeline pulled her jacket tighter and lifted the bar as they all slid out. Topple checked the small cabin near the drop off point where an adult Siberian Husky sat slumped over at his post. "I think the wolves poisoned him. He's still breathing, but it's shallow."
Max's ears perked. "The wolves are nearby."
Topple led the two towards the sound of howling, down a narrow trail that ended in a small cave. Max pulled on Topple's blue jacket. "How are we gonna get back?"
Topple was silent for a moment. "Let's figure that out when we stop these assholes."
They made their way into the cave, leaving their skis at the entrance. Explosives lined the walls. Topple stuck out a paw and examined the various objects. "Guys, I don't think this is where the wolves are hiding. It's--"
Max finished for him. "It's where they plan to blow the mountain."
Max, Evangeline, and Topple turned to run. At the entrance to the cave, three familiar shadows waited for them. "Going somewhere?" The middle wolf bared his teeth and growled. Topple bared his in return. "I won't let you touch this mountain, or anyone on it!"
The boss took a small remote from his coat and held it out in front of him. "Then you'll burn with the mountain."
The wolves dropped off onto the slopes below. Topple screamed. "Max, Evie, RUN!" All three made a dash from the cave and clipped into their skis. "Follow them down the mountain, we have to get that device!"
Max and Evangeline winced. "That's a black diamond. There's no way we'll make it down in one piece."
Topple put his paws on her shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes. "Evie, I mean it when I say that our lives depend on getting down that mountain. Give it your best, now let's go!"
They sped down the slope fast on the heels of the wolves. Topple's face stung with each flake of snow that pierced his fur, but he fought off the pain. Each of the wolves flanking the leader broke off to handle Max and Evangeline. While Topple gained on him, Max's reckless skiing caught one wolf off guard, snapping off a ski and sending him tumbling into the snow.
The other wolf, hot on Evangeline's path, collided straight into a tree that she narrowly avoided. Topple managed to catch up to the snowboarding leader, sending them both flying off their equipment and onto the icy ground. Both stood on all fours and bared their teeth once more. Topple struck the wolf blow for blow, clawing his jacket to shreds.
"NO!" Topple managed to pull the device free. "Max, go! Take this down the mountain!"
Max caught the device. "We won't leave you here!" The wolf pinned Topple down in rage. "You won't mess this up for me! I won't allow it!"
In that moment, a long solid object slammed into the leader from behind. He slumped over into the snow to see Evangeline standing above him holding a single ski.
"Can't I just have a normal lesson like everybody else?"
Topple, out of breath, let out a laugh.
Topple returned to the bottom of the mountain with his two students. At the base camp, Max and Evangeline's parents eagerly awaited their return.
"How was the lesson you two?" Their dad leaned in for a response.
Topple smiled. "Let's just say these two can ride the ice with me anytime."