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The Slopes By: Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: This story series is a continuation of my cannon series. It covers the early parts of my fursonas life. This story attempts to maintain the scientific realism of my other works while exploring new themes. Let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, or criticisms. I am open to everything so please feel free to leave me a message!

Chapter 1: Proposal

The seasons changed with the wind. Summer broke into fall and fall into winter. The chill factor even at sea level had become one that some Canadians had grown used to. Those who preferred warmer climates had fled to the south. It was now cold enough to snow and with it, many lakes had frozen over. As such the activities for many of the country's citizens had become more sedentary except when the weather called for snow shoveling.

It was not always bad and the younger generations enjoyed the chance to get outside and play. More often than not schools shut down due to the sheer amount of powder and each time that happened much of the youth was quite happy about it. All in all, it didn't matter to the authorities that be since it was close to the holidays and the education system would be going on break soon anyway.

Pent wasn't like your usual cub though. The arctic fox enjoyed school enough that he went through with it like a fish to water. He very much enjoyed the aspect of learning, especially when it came to science. His best friend, Arthur, wasn't exactly as keen on the idea but still enjoyed going to school for different reasons. Since it was getting closer to the holidays now, they had begun planning for what they would do during it.

Arthur's family usually went out of town for the season but this year that had been changed since his distant family was in the middle of moving. When the Eskimo dog informed his friend, the fox was elated to hear that he would be staying instead of leaving. One day the puppy's parents approached him. They felt like the family needed a vacation and suggested going to the mountain for a few days.

Arthur had been to the mountain before but it had been a few years since that was the case and had forgotten all about it. The mountains were a good distance from where they lived so it wasn't like they had a good view of the peaks. The dog boy thought about the prospect for a good while. They promised he would have a good time and even assured him that he would have more advanced lessons since he had never been taught formally before.

The puppy wasn't sure what to think of it. Sure he had heard of it before but had never really thought about improving his skills. However, he wasn't about to protest his parent's desire to go on vacation. The next time he saw Pent, he decided to bring up the issue and see what his friend thought about it. It was almost the last day of school and he knew he wouldn't see the fox as much as normal.

After school, Pent was usually the last one out of the building as he normally stayed behind to help the science teacher with cleaning up. It was a cold day and despite the amount of fur the Eskimo Dog had, he was cold enough to have to wear a jacket. He bundled up near the tree and huddled up near it. The bark of the tree was frosted with ice and he backed away from it once he discovered it offered no warmth.

Eventually, the white fox appeared from the entrance of the school. Pent pushed his way through the doors into the open. It was lightly snowing and the kit had a smaller jacket on since his fur was thicker than his friends. Once Pent saw Arthur, a smile crept across his face and his tail began to wag slowly. The smaller cub approached the larger one shielding his face from a brief rush of wind that died soon thereafter.

Once they were within a personal distance of one another they began chatting.

"Hey, What's up?" The dog sparked the conversation with a rhetorical question.

Pent shrugged. "I'm getting ready to go home. How about you?"

"The same. Hey, what do you think of snowboarding?" Arthur leaned forward and straightened his posture before slinging his bag on his back.

The fox showed a look of confusion on his face. "I've snowboarded before but it's been a while. Why?"

"My parents want to take me to the mountains for a vacation." The Eskimo dog shuffled his feet a bit seeming unsure of himself.

The smaller cub placed his paw on the other's shoulder. "That doesn't seem so bad. What are you worried about?"

"I mean it sounds fine but I don't want to be stuck up there with my parents by myself. They don't even ski most of the time. They are boring." The puppy looked at the ground avoiding the other's gaze.

Pent hugged his friend casually. "It will be fine. I'm sure it will be fun."

"Maybe you can come with us?" Arthur's face glanced upward and lightened up.

The fox scratched his head. "Oh, that sounds cool! I haven't snowboarded in a while. What would your parents think about me coming?"

"I'm not sure. I'll ask and let you know." The dog's tail was wagging as he was certain his parents would approve.

Pent nodded. "Alright, that sounds good. Let me know. I guess I'll get going now. Text me so I know if I need to plan or not."

"Cool, I'll see you later then." The puppy waved and parted off in his way.

Arthur headed towards his home via his bike. The roads and sidewalks were cleared regularly in this part of town, so he was able to ride his bike despite the cold weather. He had a special face mask to prevent the cold air from freezing his wet nose. Still, it was a bit uncomfortable to bear against the grunt of the brisk wind of the winter climate as he pedaled against the wind.

The dog boy was able to make it home before long. He was extra excited about asking his parents the big question he had in his mind. The puppy had already formed an idea of how to bring up the issue and was all but certain that they would agree. As he pulled into the driveway of his home, he pulled his bike to the side of the building and leaned it up against the side of the wall closest to where the garage was.

Arthur could see that the driveway was empty. He knew his parents wouldn't be home for some time. Still, he rushed inside so that he could warm up. Once inside he found the heat of the home was at a meager idle temperature. It was just enough to cut the chill from the outside and prohibit pipes from freezing. He closed the door behind him and pulled off his face mask before blowing into his hands to warm up his face.

The pup rushed to the thermostat and pushed the temperature up a few degrees. He knew where his parents normally liked to keep the temperature so he figured it wouldn't cause an issue. It wasn't long before his body began to warm up and he felt like he could take off his winter coat and pants. He placed the thick outerwear on a rack and skipped back towards his room with a pep in his step.

After he entered his room, Arthur found his way to his desk. He was keen on getting his homework done so he could spend the rest of the night doing as he pleased. The dog kicked off his shoes near the door and then shuffled into the comfy seat near his wooden desk. The puppy rifled through his bag and pulled out his agenda to check what his homework was. It seemed the only things he had to do were French and Math.

Math was his go-to subject so he decided to start with that. It was a simple assignment due to the fact it was a review of old content. Arthur was able to blaze through it with ease and didn't feel even remotely challenged. He was a little disappointed since he rather enjoyed going through the trial and error of more difficult problems. He looked at the clock and saw that it was still a while before his parents came home.

The puppy pulled out his French book and began working on grammar. It was his first language but he didn't use it often except occasionally at school and sometimes at home. The language was far from his best subject regardless of it was English or French. Even still he powered through it and was able to finish the dialogue and questions after about half an hour of trudging through it.

Coincidentally once he finished, he heard the door of the home open. Arthur immediately sprang to his feet and ran as quick as the small space of the indoors allowed him. He could see his mother down the hallway, already closing the door. Like him, she was an Eskimo dog, though she was had a much darker coat of brown fur. She kneeled to welcome the running cub into her arms with a warm hug.

"What's up kiddo? Did you have a good day at school?" The woman continued hugging for several seconds before releasing.

The boy nodded heartily. "Yup, how was work?"

"It was fine just another day at the office. Not much to talk about, at least that would interest you." She huffed deeply and looked directly into her son's eyes.

Arthur looked up at his mom as she stood up. "I was wondering if we could talk about the trip you and dad were planning?"

"What about it? It's not for a few weeks but we're still going if that's what you're worried about."

The puppy shook his head back and forth. "No, it's not that. I was thinking that if it's okay with you and dad could Pent go with us?"

"Hmm, well I'd have to talk to your father about it but would his brother be alright with it?" The boy's mother scratched her head for a moment.

The boy stepped forward and hugged his mother again. "I'll make sure to ask him. Let me know what you guys decide?"

"Yup. You got it, buckaroo." She began to step away from him as she had other things to attend to.

Arthur returned to his room and pulled out his phone to text Pent about the progress of the issue. He punched in the message on the phone and plopped on his bed to await a response. His tail wagged back and forth while he patiently waited for a response. A few minutes later the fox kit responded.

"My brother says it's fine so I just need to know the dates and how much it costs."

The puppy thought about it a moment. He knew the dates of the ordeal but he didn't know the cost. He hoped it wouldn't be out of the budget of the fox's family.

Arthur yelled down the hall without getting up. "How much would it cost Pent to go?"

There was no response so the cub figured he hadn't been heard. Arthur decided to deal with it at dinner since he assumed his mother was busy with something else. Later when his father arrived home, he finally got his answer and learned that the boy's family would be paying for his friend to go. Arthur wasn't quite expecting this turn of events but was more than happy to learn this was the case. That evening he relayed the information to Pent.

Pent was equally shocked at the act of charity. The kit later told his brother who was happy for the younger boy but surprised. It didn't matter though, the deal was sealed and in a few weeks, they would be off to Tremblant for a snowboarding trip.

Chapter 2: The car ride

A few weeks came and went by rather quickly. The day of the trip finally arrived and Arthur had been looking forward to it for the full duration of the wait. Each day he checked in on Pent who seemed just as eager as he was to go on the trip. It had been some time since the fox had been snowboarding. The kit had never gone out and bought his equipment but his brother decided to give him some money to rent the stuff when they got to the resort.

Arthur had already packed a few days before the day arrived. His bags were ready and his parents were scurrying around the house to get everything ready for the trip ahead of them. The boy's parents checked his collected things since it wasn't ordinary to go to the mountain this time of year and they wanted to make sure he had enough warm clothing. They didn't worry about the equipment since they didn't have it either and would also have to rent it.

Once everything was in the car, the whole family was ready to go. The puppy was all sorts of antsy despite knowing that the ride would be at least 3 hours. He was more looking forward to learning a new hobby from Pent than anything else. The drive to his friends wasn't nearly as long as the one before them and after they were on the road, it took mere minutes before they arrived at the apartment complex where the fox lived.

Arthur's mother honked the horn and the boy called him over the phone. Before long the small white fox appeared out of a second-story door with his taller brother behind him. Samaliel was carrying the bigger items but Pent had a single bag in his paw. The older fox helped him put his stuff in the back of the vehicle once they were close enough. After he was all squared away they shared a short hug and the gray fox waited for the other to get into the car before seeing him off.

Now that Pent was in the car, Arthurs parents could begin the trip in earnest. The puppy and his friend sat in the back seat parallel to one another but still rather close in proximity. As they pulled out of the parking lot, the two boys began chatting it up. The topic of which was mostly about the trip and what they would be doing during it. Of course, most of it focused on some verbal instruction on snowboarding.

The adults in the car meanwhile proceeded with their conversation about something else entirely. Surprisingly both pairs were able to maintain a conversation without interrupting each other. Eventually, the talking died out and the raid soon took the place of it and provided some white noise to replace it. It was some hockey talk from some recent games that took place and the group was familiar with the broadcast since it was a regular one in the area.

As they proceeded down the road and into the highway, occasionally the radio broke off and music took over. The station provided some relief from the sometimes repetitious nature of a road trip. The cubs soon turned their gaze outside the windows to take in the sights. This part of the country was well known for its natural beauty. The closer they got to the mountain, the more powder they could see.

Luckily for the mother, the road was mostly clear. Every so often a snowplow passed by their path showing that people were hard at work to clear the roads of snow. Eventually, they arrived at the base of the mountains. Both boys couldn't help but look up at the ridge before them. It towered well past the clouds and its peak could not be seen no matter how hard they looked.

"We're almost there...just an hour or two more." The father announced looking back at the cubs who were now playing a card game.

Arthur and Pent in the meanwhile had begun a game of Pokemon cards. Both boys were rather keen on the trading cards despite many of their age mates having moved on from the trend. They regularly traded and battled to hone their skills. Pent was much keener about the game but both of them engaged since they tried to enjoy each other's hobbies whenever they could.

This round involved a battle of the fox's Cinderace based deck while the puppy had settled on an older Pokemon deck centered around Feraligator. Even though Arthur had a type advantage, the challenge ended up being rather evenly rounded. The end of the heated conflict ended with a 1 prize card difference with the dog on top of the fox. They never gave each other a card if they lost, it was more or less a friendly challenge.

As they made it up the top of the mountain, the climate of the environment dropped in temperature. The wooded area around them became increasingly evident as the piles of snow became ever larger. The father heated the car by throttling up the controls on the hub of the vehicle. Neither boy even much realized that it was getting colder since they were rather used to cold climate. The car was compensating whatever difference there was between normal and what was now all around them.

Eventually, they arrived almost near the peak of the mountain. The car came to a stop and both cubs halted what they were doing since the car hadn't made any abrupt stops other than for lights. Both boys looked outside and saw nothing else other than pine trees and a few cars around them. They were now in front of the hotel where they were standing and it didn't seem like the place had a lot of people staying there.

Pent was the first one out of the car once they stopped. Winter was his favorite time of the year and he liked snow more than your typical Canadian. The fox catapulted out of the vehicle, forgetting all about his jacket in the car. His thick white fur offered some protection from the elements but he wasn't quite cut out for a long stint in the frozen winter of the mountains like his feral brethren wear.

The fox rolled around a few times not seeming to few moments in the thick of the frost. Arthur couldn't help but smile as he watched his friend frolic around. The dog reached next to him and threw the kit into his jacket before putting his own on. Pent picked himself up off the floor and shook his body to get some of the snow off him. As Arthur emerged from the car he stretched and yawned.

Chapter 3: The Base

The outdoor air was brisk and cool. It was not snowing but it was evident by the amount of snow around that it had done so recently. The surrounding area smelt like pine and there was a small number of furs walking around with equipment or luggage.

"Come on kiddos. Let's get squared away in the cottage and we'll take to the mountain tomorrow." The father announced as she emerged from the passenger side.

Pent finally put on his jacket and returned to the car to grab some of the bags. Arthur did the same and grabbed a few too many bags for his strength.

When he began to walk, Arthur struggled a bit. He waddled a few times before eventually dropping the stuff to the floor in frustration. His father stepped over and shook his head at the arrogant pup. The man took some of the load off the boy. Each member of the extended family took a few bags. After only a few trips back and forth to the car, they were able to unload inside of the cottage.

Arthur's parents had picked out a small cabin about a month ago. It was a small house a little far removed from the slope itself. It was situated in a community that had been designed as a tourist hub for the place when the resort was opened several decades ago. Over the years it had gotten a little worn down but the owner of the place offered a communal breakfast which was served in the center of the community for all of its patrons.

The place came highly recommended as it wasn't completely isolated yet still maintained a sense of humbleness. As they entered the main living room, it was even colder than the outside. The parents shivered a bit as they dropped their bags by the front door to head over to the heater to turn it on. They decided to busy themselves once it was powered on since it was likely that it would take a while to heat up.

Pent and Arthur had made their way to the back of the first room waiting to find out where they were staying. The mother smiled at them and motioned her hand towards them as they peeled off following behind her. She assigned them to a room removed from the master one. The woman was already knowledgeable about the place since she had decided on living spaces during the trip plans.

After they were shown their room the two cubs began to unpack their stuff. Arthur got first dibs on the dresser drawers while Pent was left with a much smaller bureau. He didn't complain since he was a guest. Besides he hadn't brought that much and had learned to deal with a small living space in his young life. It took a short while to finish but by the time they did, it was finally warm enough to take off their jackets.

Arthur's parents eventually checked on them to assure that the cubs had done what they were supposed to. The two boys were already lazing about on opposite beds but soon got up when they learned the family was going out for lunch. They grabbed their jackets and quickly sprung out of bed as neither of them was that tired. There was no doubt they were hungry as it had been some time since they had breakfast.

At lunch, they discussed the plans for the trip. The mother had been the one to work out the details so she shared a shortened version of the itinerary with the kids. They were to go to the slopes in the morning after they rented gear. They would stop at the rental shop first before getting lift tickets. The rest of the night would be free with exception of dinner and they could spend it any way they wished.

Pent and Arthur decided to take it easy. The fox was the more avid snowboarder who had been doing it for several years and he knew the activity could be draining. Arthur was a skier who also understood the perils of overexerting themselves. The two spent the rest of the night contemplating which slopes they would brave first. Of course, neither knew how difficult the terrain was and would have to rely on the labels.

Chapter 4: The Mountain

The next morning came before long. Both of the cubs were restless but they were able to sleep all the same. In the morning they changed into sport appropriate gear. Both boys were aware of needing waterproof stuff in case they fell. Neither of them had protective gear and both hoped they wouldn't make too tremendous a fall.

Arthur's father popped his head in after a while to see how they were doing. The older dog already seemed ready to go. The cub's tails were wagging quite evidently at this point. It was clear that they were excited about the day before them. The older dog stood at the door waiting as they finished dressing. Once they were done they made their way out of the shared room and back into the living room where Arthur's mother had already prepared breakfast.

It was a hearty meal of eggs and toast as she knew the calories were needed so that no one in the family would fall short in terms of energy. Each cub munched on some fruit before she served them the meal itself. Once they were done, the boys were left alone cleaning the kitchen while the older furs made the last-minute preparations for the day. Before long they have all squared away and ready to go.

When Pent and Arthur returned from the kitchen, the boy's parents were waiting patiently. The extended family finally made their way out of the cabin. The parents had already worked out the logistics of where they needed to go. The drive to the equipment center wasn't long and the base of the ski resort was just beyond that. They made their way to the car and once they were inside the mother began to commute to the equipment shop.

The rental place was about 10 minutes from where they were. It took a little bit of extra time since there was more traffic than they expected. It seemed that other people were out and about for an early day on the slopes Once the car made a stop the extended family made their way out of the door. The parking lot was full of furs who were putting on all sorts of equipment. There wasn't much of a line out of the door but there was a sign indicating pickup was inside.

Pent and Arthur were in the front of the line but eventually, the puppy's parents pushed their way in front to declare their needs. The parents discussed the rentals with the people at the desk who sent them off to the sizing station to get squared away for gear. The parents already knew what size stuff they needed but the cubs hadn't gotten equipment since last season. A pair of store employees approached them and helped them get set up with gear.

Both of them were given junior snowboards and matching boots. They were far from professional grade but it would serve the purpose all the same. The employees waxed the boards before screwing in the bindings. By this point, both boys were getting hot since the store was heated. Fortunately for them, the only thing that was left was a helmet and goggles which each of them picked on the way out of the store.

Now that they were done getting gear the extended family made it's way back to the car to head off to the ski resort. It wasn't far off and the furs spent more time getting in the car now since they had more stuff. All of them had changed into appropriate boots which was much harder to move about than your normal shoes. Once they were settled into the car they began the final journey towards the resort.

Chapter 5: The arrival

It was a short drive to the parking arrangements in the place. As they got closer the congestion of traffic became more obvious. The mother worked her magic and eventually found a parking spot near the middle of the complex. The extended family burst out of the sedan. Pent and Arthur stretched as they were rather restless from the lack of activity over the past hour or so. Once everyone picked up their gear from the racks they made their way into the ski resort.

As they neared the entrance there was a small line filing near the front. The counter the line was in front of was labeled "Tickets". Fortunately, they had already bought lift tickets online so all they had to do was check in on the Will Call desk. The father brought them to the area where it was located and they checked in. Each of them was given a small plastic card which they were to keep throughout the trip.

They were assigned a locker which the extended family was to share. After they stopped there to drop their things off, they were finally ready to get to the slopes. Pent and Arthur were told to meet back by lunchtime. The cubs were glad that they would be left to their own devices.

"So which routes do you wanna take, bud?" Arthur asked leaning in towards the smaller boy.

Pent's ears perked up. "How about we start with intermediate and go from there."

Arthur nodded and the two were off. Both boys had their boards under their arms. The signage in the area made it obvious where they needed to go.

Pent and Arthur followed the blue signage which indicated where the lifts to the middle of the mountain would be. It took them near an outcropping of trees that looked out on a small village of houses. They stood together for a minute idly while holding their boards to the side. Arthur pulled in the other boy for a quick hug as they looked out onto the blue horizon, simply enjoying the sights.

It was a clear day and there weren't many clouds. There was only light snow but it wasn't so miserably cold that they had to cover their face. Soon they stopped and headed back towards the lift. As they did they encountered another cub who seemed to be alone. It was a rabbit who had partitioned himself off the line and was waiting off to the side. Pent felt bad that the other cub was alone as he knew all too well what it felt like to be in that situation.

As they approached the rabbit, Pent could see that the boy looked to be at least a year younger than he was. His bright yellow jacket was rather noticeable however the only visible part of the bunny was his ears which were long and white. Unlike the fox, he had some visible hair on his head which was a stark brown contrasting against his otherwise light fur. The kit brought himself close enough so they could talk, but kept himself out of the line.

"Hiya, Are you lost?" The fox maintained a smile trying to give off a friendly tone.

The rabbit looked around before realizing who was talking to him. "Me? Oh, no. I just am waiting to go up alone so I don't run into anyone when I get off."

"Hmm? Well, that's no big deal. Why don't you go with us? It looks like the lift is 4 seats so there should be plenty of space." Pent patted the smaller cubs back in a gesture of reassurance.

The bunny tilted his head and looked up at the taller fox. "Sure? You don't mind if I run into you?"

"It's no different than anyone else running into me." Pent chuckled a bit as he extended his paw to the younger cub.

The fox cub's tail wagged slowly behind him. "What's your name anyway?"

"Mitsui, What's yours?" The small rabbit looked up at the bigger boy.

Pent reached forward and touched the bunny's shoulder. "Pent and this is Arthur. Nice to meet you."

Pent looked back at Arthur who was still waiting for him by the start of the line. Arthur had a smile on his face and welcomed the new addition with the same warmth his friend had moments ago. They made their way through the line which stopped and went with each person that was taken up on the lift. Each of the groups was guided by an attendant who watched to make sure no one fell or slipped.

Once it was their turn, Pent helped Mitsui to trudge along on his skis. The smaller cub was pretty awkward about it but the bigger one kept his paw at his back the entire time. The guidance was much needed and helped him maintain balance until the lift came behind them and scooped them up from behind. Pent and Arthur arranged their boards on the bar beneath as they allowed the moving chair to carry them along.

The three of them could feel the frosty breeze push against their faces as they moved. Little by little their chair lifted upward away from the station, though the distance to the ground below remained more or less at a constant pace. The entire time Mitsui clutched Pent's arm as if he was a source of comfort for him. The fox allowed it as it didn't seem to bother him as he remembered the first time he had taken a lift and how afraid he was.

The lift continued to guide them away from the station and at the midpoint, it stopped for a second. The rabbit whined a bit and Pent comforted him by placing his arm over the smaller boy's shoulder. Eventually, it started again and Mitsui wasn't as afraid when it did. His anxiety further reduced when he could finally see the endpoint of where they were to be dropped off. Pent lifted the bar so that they could move into position to prepare for departure.

Chapter 6: Riding

Within a few moments, the lift brought them up to the ramp where they would get off. The protocol was simple, they would all get off at about the same time. Pent and Arthur shoved off first and dragged their feet in the snow to stop themselves once they were on a relatively flat surface. Mitsui hesitated for a moment and the attendant for the station slowed down the carousel. Once it was almost at a stop, he finally built the courage up to leave the safety of the seat.

Pent watched with interest as the smaller boy pushed off. His initial descent proved to be promising but as the small ramp came to an end, he lost his footing and fell to the floor. Both of the other boys rushed over to help him up as he hadn't gone far enough to pose them any danger.

"Thanks," Mitsui said blushing with a smile.

Arthur nodded. "Come on, let's get out of the way of the ramp.

The three cubs dragged themselves over to a large wooden board which showed where they were on the hill. According to the map, the left descent was a beginner once and the right one was more advanced.

"I guess. I'll see you guys later?" The rabbit said as he assumed the other boys were more advanced than he was.

Arthur looked over at Pent who simply shrugged. "Nah, we can go down with you if you want."

Mitsui smiled and began shuffling his feet over towards the direction of the signs that had green marks on them. This side of the slope had a lot more people on it, many of them younger than any of the cubs. Some were even young enough that they were tethered to their parents to keep them from drifting away from their parents. The three boys wandered into an open part of the crowd.

A member of the ski patrol eyed them warily as they approached as it was her job to rescue victims of crashes or falls. The woman was a huge Saint Bernard and she was sipping on some hot cocoa while waiting for a call over her hand radio. Both Pent and Arthur sat down next to each other as they strapped in their remaining paw into the board. After all the other half had already been fastened in before they came up.

After they were shackled in, the two boys kneeled up and motioned to Mitsui to show that they were ready. The rabbit nodded and pushed down his goggles over his eyes and snout showing he was ready as he'd ever been. Pent and Arthur allowed him to go first, he went slow and easy as he eased out of the entry gate. Soon after the two canine friends followed, though they were much faster about exiting the starting point.

Pent and Arthur weaved in and out of traffic with ease. The powder wasn't fresh but it had been groomed recently so there weren't any unexpected edges to be caught by their boards. It didn't take them long to catch up with Mitsui as he had stumbled over his skis and made an abrupt fall to the far side of the run. The fox slid over to where he was and made a quick stop to help him up. Arthur slowed down but did not follow in suit to avoid congestion.

Once he was helped up, the fox and his friend were keener on showing off. The puppy picked up speed and began to drive his way through the traffic with ease. Pent wasn't about to be shown up either and forgot all about Mitsui for the moment. For the moment, all he was interested in was the idea of competing with his friend. Arthur had a head start but the kit kept a close distance behind him.

After a few moments, Arthur found a small clump of snow that allowed him to take him off balance and sent him sprawling to the floor. This was more than enough of a delay to allow Pent to catch up but instead of passing by, the smaller boy offered his paw to Arthur who didn't seem to be shaken by his own mistake. Once they were up and about again waited a moment to make sure Mitsui was still chugging along.

It was a few minutes before the rabbit showed up. It was apparent he had done this before, though his movements were choppy. The small cub was still relying on the "Pizza" and "French Fry" method of movement which while it was safe wasn't exactly the quickest way to go down. Still, he was making progress and the two other cubs were glad he hadn't fallen again. Once they confirmed that was the case the two canines began moving again.

The route was easy enough that they were able to brave the rest of it without any issues. After a few minutes of weaving through traffic, they made their way to the bottom of the slope. It seemed like a longer route than normal but they had stopped a few times to help out each other as well as Mitsui. A few moments later Mitsui could be seen on the horizon. The two canine pups cheered him on as he made the final sprint towards the end.

On the last stretch, the rabbit bent over and decided to be a little brave to impress his friends. His body shot forward faster as the drag on his form wasn't as much. Mitsui's speed picked up and soon he was beyond the control of his skill. Before long he raced forward to the base of the hill where his relied method of stopping was not nearly enough to give him the traction he needed to remain upright.

Pent and Arthur watched as the smaller cub rolled into a ball and tumbled at the bottom of the hill. Fortunately, since it was the green hill some bright red collision cushions prevented any more forward movement beyond the flattest area of the hill. Eventually, his body slowed into a spiral before finally stopping. The two canine cubs slid over to make sure he was alright.

When they arrived Mitsui was laughing quite hard and even smiling. It was evident he wasn't hurt despite the intensity of the fall he had just experienced. Arthur leaned over to help him up and Pent removed his skis so he could walk upright. Still, he had a bright smile on his face so it seemed that the rabbit had enjoyed himself. The two canine cubs eventually leaned over to remove the bindings from their boards so they could walk more easily.

Over the next few hours, the three continued much of the same routine; going up on the lift and then riding down with occasional stops for water or to catch their breath. Eventually, their rumbling stomachs reminded them that lunchtime was near. Arthur even went as far as to invite Mitsui to lunch who instead deferred to meet his own family for the same occasion. The three parted ways, hoping to see each other again later.

Chapter 7 Respite

Pent and Arthur made their way to the racks at the base of the resort to lock up their boards for lunch. Looking up at a nearby overheard clock, they verified it was almost noon. It was evident by gazing around that other people had the same idea they did. The two cubs began to make their way through the crowds, trying to see if they could find the cafeteria. Luckily for them, like the rest of the place, signs were indicating where it was.

The friends were tempted to hold hands but didn't want to attract any wayward attention as they walked towards the cafeteria. They took off their helmets and goggles before heading indoors. The cafeteria was much warmer than the outside and they immediately felt the difference. Neither boy had much water that day and both were rather parched as they headed towards the bathroom to do their business and get a drink from the fountain.

At the fountain, Arthur got the keen idea of dousing himself with the water. His fur was a little matted from sweat and the feeling of the cool water was refreshing as he splashed himself. Pent giggled and followed in suit thinking the idea was good. After they were done relieving themselves in the bathroom, they made their way upstairs into the main area in the cafeteria. The Eskimo began to look around for his parents.

Sure enough, he saw his father waving him over to an outside table. Unlike the boys, the two parents' fur was not matted down by the combination of the helmet and sweat. To Arthur, it didn't even seem like they had ridden today.

"You guys didn't go down any slopes?" The boy asked his parents.

His father shook his head. "Nah, your mother got a cold shoulder. Did you guys have fun?"

Arthur nodded. "Uh-huh. Can we get some money for lunch?"

The man dug his paw into his pocket and pulled out some cash from his wallet. "Here you go. Don't worry about us. We already ate."

The dog grabbed his friend and dragged him inside as he wasn't about to wait for food. The two cubs made their way into the line and began to wait patiently as they made their way through the queue.

The two boys were behind some taller woman who paid them no mind. Eventually Pent bumped into her and she grunted in annoyance at the disturbance but said nothing. The fox apologized and no more was said about the issue. Soon they were at the front of the line. A few attendants were standing by to make sure none of the kids around were horseplaying or doing any other funny business around the food.

Pent ended up choosing a tuna sandwich while Arthur ended up getting some turkey. Both boys picked a bag of chips and got some drinks to wet their whistle. One of the attendants slipped them a chocolate bar for good measure which elicited a smile from both of the cubs. After they got to the cashier, the employee tried to charge them for all of it but a quick wink by the gift giver confirmed it was a freebie and they were on their way.

Arthur and Pent thanked the nice woman and they went about exiting the building to meet back up with the puppy's parents. It was lightly snowing now but it wasn't quite heavy enough to be a bother but some people had filed inside to avoid getting wet from melted snow later. The dog family didn't care as much since the parents hadn't gone on the slopes just yet and they didn't want to seem like they had left the premises.

The cubs returned to the family and ate their meal in no time. They were pretty famished from burning energy for the first part of the day. The two didn't speak a word and stuffed their faces with the sandwiches and chips. After they were done, they sat there for a good while to digest their food. The sun was out now so the snow had mostly gone away at least for the time being.

"By the way, boys. I signed you up for those advanced lessons after lunch. They start as soon as you check in to the desk." The mother said who was now sprawled out against her husband's lap.

Arthur nearly burst out of his seat. "Really? Sweet. Let's go, Pent! Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, bucko. Be safe." She said softly as she closed her eyes.

The older dog butted in before they could leave. "Wait until your food settles. I don't want you to get cramps."

"Alright, Dad." The puppy was about to leave and sat back down.

For the duration of the break, Arthur was feeling rather antsy. He couldn't stop thinking about the lessons. He wanted to improve and had never had formal lessons before. Pent was mostly chill about the ordeal, though he was still excited just not as much as his friend was. After about half an hour of waiting, the older man nodded. The puppy exploded out of his car and took Pent with him.

The man couldn't help but laugh as he continued to tend to his wife who was suffering from elevation sickness. He had bought her some pills but they hadn't yet taken effect. So her husband decided to comfort her while she waited for the medicine to kick it. She was glad it was getting warmer and was starting to feel better but it was taking the time. He on the other hand wanted to get to skiing but wasn't about to leave her high and dry.

Arthur and Pent made their way back to the main part of the village where they saw yet another sign for lessons. It wasn't far from where they were and it appeared that it was near the base of the slope by where the end of the green run was. The dog and fox made their way over to where it was and made their way inside. There weren't many people around just a few parents and some children smaller than they were.

One of the employees waved them over and the boys noticed the gesture before walking over to the desk. It was a tall lion of a man with a pristine white mane that was combed back to look like it was hair. The feline seemed to be a young adult but his face was rather torn by scars as if he had gotten into some scuffles when we were younger.

"Ey, Yo. Ow' Ya' Doin?" The lion had a distinct accent.

Pent hesitated in an attempt to understand before answering. "We are alright. We're here for the advanced snowboard lesson."

"Awrigh. Lamme Caw." It sounded as if the older male was chewing on something.

The feline picked up a radio and mumbled into it. A few seconds later he pointed outside. The two canines followed his orders and went outside. A second after they entered into the open air again, it started to snow again. Before long some of the ski patrols came racing by with a sled. It was always a scary sight when they did, but it was a necessary function of any resort. A few minutes later, a lithe looking snow leopard approached to two cubs.

"You two the ones here for lessons? Can I have your names so I can send you to the right place?" The woman pulled out a small clipboard that she examined.

Arthur shared their names and the woman began to look for their names. Eventually, she found them on the advanced spreadsheet and gave them each a small orange card which she attached to their jackets.

"Alright. You two will meet the instructor on the advanced hill slope C. Be there in 20 minutes." She walked away and continued to do the same with some other people that had gathered nearby.

Pent and Arthur went to gather back their boards from the lock area and then went to the map to find where slope C was. According to the sign, it was one level higher than the route they had been using for the first part of the day.

The boys made their way to a line at the far left of the resort. This particular route had both the blue triangle and the black star which indicated it was more advanced. Pent saw the sign with the symbols and smirked at the challenge. Once Arthur saw it, he began to grind his hands together seeming a little nervous. The smaller cub couldn't help but notice.

"It'll be fine. We're not going down the black slope and we'll have the instructor with us." Pent said while reaching over to pat his friend's back.

Arthur nodded and cheered up a bit. "Yeah, I guess your right."

Chapter 8 Lessons

Pent and Arthur made their way through the line and buckled up their boards before getting on the lift to let it take them up the mountain. This time there weren't nearly as many stoppages since this route was primarily for the more athletically vested guests. The ride was also longer in duration as it took them up even further. As they gazed towards the right they could see the drop off that they had been using for the earlier portion of the day.

It was a few minutes before the lift came to an end and they were dropped off near the middle of the mountain. The snow was heavier in this area so both cubs dismounted the lift and put on their goggles to protect themselves. An individual in a bright orange jacket was standing near the descent into the mountain. The boys assumed he was the person they had to meet up with since the color matched the card they were given.

It was a large black bear standing over top of some people who were currently binding themselves to their boards. As they approached the husky ursine fellow noticed their cards and waved them over to the spot that he had picked for preparation. The man pulled his hood over his face as the wind was picking up. He pointed at a bare spot on the floor for the two cubs to get set up. As Pent and Arthur looked around it seemed their group was a smaller one.

Pent gazed around at his surroundings noticing it was quite the wooded area and wasn't as open as the other one. There were even some bright yellow boundary lines to prevent people from going off the beaten path. The area smelt like pine and each time he took a breath a little of the flurries of snow bristled against his wet nose.

"Alright, so the goal of today is to show you all some tricks. The plan is to go down as normal, so I can gauge your skill. Towards the bottom, we will veer off into the extreme park and we will try some jumps and ramps. Any questions? If not, get ready, and let's go."

No one said a word and the bear slapped his board on the floor before binding up. Everyone followed in suit. The party was a group of 5 including the two cubs who were the youngest.

"I'd like the cubs to go first and everyone else can fall behind as needed. Don't go too slow and show me what you got." The bear hopped up with very little effort and began sliding to the area where other people were waiting to push off.

The group launched off one by one. Arthur and Pent rode parallel to one another as they made their way down the hill following right behind the bear.

Every once in a while the man looked back to see how his crew was doing. He was able to achieve enough of a distance in front of them to be able to stop a few times. Only the cubs seemed to be able to keep up with him. Soon he had to stop because he lost track of one of his charges. He stopped by a small mound of snow and held up his hand which signaled for everyone to gather where he was.

Pent and Arthur complied and so too did the others who were lagging. The lost person never ended up showing up, and the bear scrambled a message into his hand radio to let ski patrol know they had to be located. It wasn't his job to locate the individual so he motioned them to continue and head towards the extreme park. Eventually, they made it to an area where there was a sharp turn to the right into another hill.

The bear guided everyone over to the area and sat down on his butt for a moment to check in on his lost person. After confirming they had been located, his attitude lightened up a bit and he pointed at a small rope bridge that led up the far left side of the hill. Neither Pent nor Arthur had used such a device before and it was also the first time they'd seen one. It was an antiquated technology used only when lifts were not installed in smaller areas.

The bear was the first one to take the bridge up. He angled his board vertically so that it was angled only slightly against the grain of the snow. Each of his charges watched his guidance and then followed in suit shortly after. The distance up the rope bridge wasn't long. As they went up the cubs couldn't help but look at some of the obstacles placed on the way down. There were several ramps as well as a few pipes for them to brave.

Once they were at the top, the instructor-led them to the center of the flat area at the top of the slope. The bear stretched for a few seconds and made several hops towards the descent of the hill. Within moments he was off. The company at the top watched him with interest as the man beamed down the hill with confidence and speed. The ursine fellow hopped as he approached a bar and then slid across it with ease.

Some of the watchers gawked in awe as they let out consecutive shows of exaggerative appreciation. After the bar ended he hopped off and performed a quick spin to show off his moves. Once he had settled in, he quickly sped towards a nearby ramp and jumped off it. As he did his body made a complete flip and still, he was able to land upright. One of the women nearby screamed in delight as he recovered from the jump.

Before long the run ended and he made his way to the rope bridge to go back up. After a few minutes of waiting, he was back on the top of the slope.

"So, this time we're going to do it one by one and trick by trick. I will be on the side to catch you if you fall so I will do my best to keep up. Who wants to go first?"

Arthur immediately raised his paw and got up. The bear leaned down to unfasten himself from the board. Once he was free he began to walk down the hill towards one of the first pipes on the run.

He was stopped by the bear who made sure to get in the boy's way. The forward motion and velocity of the cub wasn't a threat to the masculine fellow. As he approached the ursine braced himself in the snow as Arthur slowed down nearing him and then came to almost a complete stop. The man grasped the cub by the shoulder and proceeded to guide him until he was on the poll. With his free paw, the older male stabilized the board so it remained steady while it was going slow.

Eventually, Arthur made his way across the pipeline and once he dismounted, the man let go. The puppy smiled and cheered as he made his way down to the ramp. The dog was confident he could land on his feet if he made a jump. The trainer watched with interest from behind as the small cub approached it. A few seconds later he reached the lamp and hopped upward. A rush of euphoria filled his young body as he left the floor. Though it didn't last long before he returned to the floor.

The man clapped loudly and the crowd further up followed in suit. Arthur continued to the bottom of the hill before making his way to the rope bridge. Once the puppy returned to the top, Pent got up to greet him. The smile on Arthur's face was noticeable and his tail was wagging. Now it was the fox's turn since he had gotten up. The bear waved over to him to get him to come down.

Arthur patted the kit on the shoulder and maintained his smile at him. Pent nodded and turned his board towards the descent. The puppy made his way to the crowd and settled down once he was next to them and waited for Pent to go down. Before long the fox made his run down the slope. Much in the same way as his friend, he was slowed down at the pipe. The trainer did the same with pent and guided him down the pipe in the same method.

Not to be outdone by his friend, the fox made his way to the same ramp and went up to it. As is did, he attempted to lean over to grab his board and let go before finally landing in a bent-over position on his feet. Pent straightened up his body and threw up his arms in celebration. The crowd cheered in support of the young cub. Once the run was over, he returned up the rope bridge in a similar fashion that his friend did.

One by one each of the other people went down the slope and tried to do the same thing. Some of them not even bothering to participate out of fear. One of them went as far as to leave entirely because they wanted nothing to do with the tricks. Each time the two cubs were called, they were more than up to the task of taking on the tricks, and every time they got better. By the end of it, they were able to do both the pipe on their own as well as land a stable footing after jumping off the ramp.

When it was finally over with, all of them thanked the trainer who had helped them. Pent and Arthur shook the man's hand who in a final show of skill did a run himself. He did the pole going down backward and a full 360 degree split on the ramp. The people who remained couldn't help but gawk at the ordeal. But with that, the bear vanished into the distance, to his next session.

Arthur and Pent made one final run down the trick park. Each of them trying to replicate the same trick the bear had done only moments ago. Neither of them was able to land it and ended up on their butts laughing. Still, the two cubs were quite excited about their progress and Arthur couldn't wait to share the story. They began their final descent down the hill feeling that it might be time for a break.

Chapter 9: Extra outings

After they made their way back down the hill they saw a familiar sight. The bright yellow jacket they had recalled from earlier seemed to be lazing about on one of the ledges of snow. Nearby a larger more mature-looking rabbit was sitting close to him. Pent and Arthur smiled seeming glad he had returned to his family. The smile on his face was unmistakable as they got closer to him.

Mitsui looked up and noticed them before waving over to them. The two canine boys plopped over in the ice to unbuckle themselves from their boards. The older rabbit held up some spare water bottles before throwing them to them. Little did the two cubs know that Mitsui had been talking about them all day and so the more mature rabbit felt indebted to the two kids for watching his younger brother.

Arthur and Pent picked up their boards and grabbed the bottles that had been thrown at them. They were parched from expending their energy all day and in no time the small amount of liquid was gone.

"You two want another bottle? I've got plenty." The older rabbit said looking surprised at how quick they had emptied the drink.

Pent shook his head. "Nah, that hit the spot though. Thanks. Are you Mitsui's father?"

"Nope. His brother. Mother and Father are back at the resort doing nothing." The teen pointed back at the patio by where the cafeteria was.

Arthur giggled. "Haha...mine too. How did you manage today, Mitsui?"

"Good. My brother showed me some more stuff. So now I feel more confident than earlier." The smaller bunny put his arm around the other's shoulder.

Both canines smiled at him and soon joined them sitting down on the ledge.

"You guys done for today?" The bigger bunny got up and the smaller one followed right after.

Pent looked over at Arthur who shrugged. "I guess. We might be up for a run or two more but I got to check in with my parents."

"Sure, alright. If you guys want we can go on one or two more runs together." The older rabbit looked at his smaller brother.

Mitsui nodded. "Yeah! I want to show you what I learned from big bro."

"You got it. Let me go check-in and we'll be back." Arthur motioned over to Pent who followed him back towards the cafeteria patio.

Arthur and Pent didn't bother to lock up their boards this timed since it seemed they would be going on another few runs. When they arrived at the patio, they found the dog's mother in much better spirits. She was no longer laying down on her husband's lap and was instead sitting upright. She smiled at them as they approached the table.

Arthur hugged his mother once he was close enough. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, you guys finished? We can head back if you want." She got up anticipating that would be the case.

The puppy shook his head. "We were wondering if we could do one or two more runs? We made some friends and they want to go with us."

"Oh? That's good. Want some company then?" The woman stretched her arms upward seeming keen on some activity.

"Sure, that's fine. Dad you...?" Arthur was interrupted before he could finish his conversation.

The man sprang out of his seat. "Your darn skippy I'm in. I'm going to show you pups how it's done."

With that, the boy's parents grabbed their equipment and got ready. Soon after they were ready the older dogs joined the younger cubs to go back to where Mitsui and his brother were ready. The two rabbits could already see them coming and had already gathered their things themselves. Once they were at a more personal distance the parents introduced themselves and the bunnies did the same.

"Alright, so which route? Green or Blue?" Arthur asked Mitsui who he assumed was more inexperienced than his brother.

The smaller rabbit pistoned his fist towards his body. "Let's end on a high note. Blue!"

Arthur smirked and with that, the whole crew was back off towards the slope. They stopped at the sign and looked through their options. Pent noticed a route that seemed to be the most group family. It was indicated by a multi-person symbol with the word family under it. They began their track over to the route known as the carousel. As they approached they could make out a larger closed in the lift.

They were checked one final time, with each of their cards being scanned as they entered. The attendant stopped the lift for the large group and once they were inside the mechanism began to move again. This time the machine moved rather quickly since there was no dismounting. All of the gear had to be carried on the inside so unlike normal lifts, there weren't as many spills. In no time they were up to the summit of their stop.

Each of them filed off the lift, which once again stopped when their cart got to the top of the journey. Once each of them was off they filed their way through the crowd and made their way to the sign. Unlike before there were blue routes in both directions. Looking at it, it was difficult to make out which one was the easier of the two so they ended up just taking the closest route which was off to the left of the sign itself.

After they figured it out, they continued past the crowd and made their way to a large enough area to accommodate the size of their group. Soon they found a spot to get situated and started to get ready for their trip back down. The dog's parents were unsurprisingly the first ones to get their boots fastened into their skis. The two cub snowboarders took a few more seconds before they were ready but it wasn't too long to wait.

Now that the entire group was prepared, they waited their turn. The boy's father shored up his wife to the front of the line as he wasn't about to be outdone by his son. Arthur wasn't far behind. Mitsui on the other hand remained close to his brother as he still felt most comfortable when he was around. The older dog was off before long and Arthur didn't wait long before following in tow.

The rest of the group was rather leisurely. The wife huffed at her husband's competitive nature but decided to let boys be boys. Pent maintained his speed and periodically checked on Mitsui who was doing better than before. His brother continued to act as sort of a guide and didn't veer off too far from his brother who was not relying on the tried and true method of "Pizza" and "French Fry."

Meanwhile, Arthur and his father were racing down the hill. The boy's father had gotten a head start but his boy was able to keep a close distance behind. However, the man was more than able to keep up the pace as he wove back and forth through trees and over hills. As they approached a ramp, the father was much braver about venturing over it while the cub had some hesitation about doing the same.

Arthur settled on clearing it and beamed his way over the ramp before his board plopped down and caught an edge in the snow. His body spiraled and he fell. Of course, his father noticed and stopped to go help his son.

"Keep it up, kiddo. You're doing great." The man offered a helping hand to his son who took it with a smile.

After recovering, they continued their race down the hill covering great distance much quicker than the rest of the group who was still lagging.

The father and his son were first to arrive at the base. The older dog was glad that he'd gotten at least one run for the day and wondered if they could do a second since the rest of the group was nowhere to be seen. He looked over and saw there was no line.

"Come on, let's go back up and do it again." The man gestured to his son who was more than willing to take him up on the offer.

Arthur and his father took the lift back up, which was much quicker this time since crowds were beginning to thin out. They wasted no time in going back down the same way they had done so last time.

Before long they were working their way down the hill again. Sure enough, before long they met up with the mother and her extended crew. They had made their way down about halfway ant Mitsui was still struggling. Arthur waved to Pent who welcomed him back to the group. After a few more minutes of the stop and go effort, the older rabbit was getting frustrated and stopped just short of where his brother was.

"Get on my shoulders and I'll take you the rest of the way down." He kneeled a bit to help his brother up.

Mitsui complied and with that, the group began a much more fluid pace down the mountain. The smaller bunny felt accomplished that he even made it down half the way and was glad the group had hung around with him. Eventually, they found their way back down to the base of the run, where the older rabbit let his brother back on solid ground. Each of the members of the group had a smile on their face.

"Thanks for coming with us. We'll be on our way now. We need to go meet up with our parents." The older rabbit said as he moved out of his skis.

The younger bunny bounce enough to get out of his own. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure." Arthur and Pent chimed in together.

With that, the two rabbits made their exits from the activities portion of the resort. The extended family sat their idly for a moment.

"Shall we head back in now? You two have been at it a while now." The father said before pulling the goggles off his face.

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, I guess I'm getting tired. What about you, Pent?"

"Sure, that sounds good." The fox nodded and unfastened his helmet.

The dog's parents ruffled their headfur and waited for the boys to take off their snowboards. It didn't take them long to get unbuckled from their boards.

Chapter 10: Rest

The extended family made their exit from the resort back towards where the car was parked. Each of them put their longer equipment over the ski rack of the vehicle and filed inside. The temperature of the car was even colder than outside from having collected snow during the day. The father went about scraping the windshield while his wife started to turn on the engine and turn on the car in hopes it would heat up sooner rather than later.

Once the windshield was scraped off, everyone was in the car. The mother took over at the steering wheel this time and began the drive back to the cabin. It wasn't a far drive and even by the time they returned the car was still rather chilly. The mother parked in front of the cabin before the crew got out of the vehicle. It was starting to snow again and the sun was beginning to set.

"Italian sound good tonight? Restore some of the carbs you guys burned off today." The mother said she exited from the front end of the vehicle.

Arthur nodded and barked in approval. The woman couldn't help but giggle. The two boys rushed out of the car and began to help with pulling the gear inside. The husband refused to allow his wife to help since she'd been so lacksadaisy all day. It didn't take them long to get the stuff inside for the night since they only had the necessities for gear. The extended family was glad that the heat had automatically been turned on at some point during the day.

Once everything was placed on the porch to dry out, the males of the extended family finally went inside to get some rest. Meanwhile, the mother had already called a local Italian restaurant to deliver, the number of which she got from a brochure that she brought back with her from the resort. They promised her it would be delivered within the next 20 minutes or it would be free.

Everyone else went into the living room to shed some clothing. It was much warmer inside than it was outside. Within moments of entering the home, they could feel the temperature difference. Each of them took off their jacket and put it on the rack as they entered inside. They followed by forcing off their boots, giving their paws some much-needed relief. Before long all three male members of the extended family flopped on the couch of the living room.

The mother soon joined them in their lazy state and before long there was a knock at the door. The father got up since his wife had made the call and answered the door. Sure enough, it was the delivery person, who took payment and was on their way after dropping off the food.

"Foods here." The father announced before going into the kitchen.

The extended family wasted no time in going into the kitchen to share the meal. Arthur and Pent decided to help by setting up the table. The oldest male served out the lasagna onto four plates, with each of them getting an even smaller helping of salad which was provided on the side as a bonus. The mother got each of them a drink and then joined them at the table.

The food certainly didn't last long. The boys were especially famished from having expended their energy throughout the day. Once they were finished, Arthurs sock bumped into Pent's shin in an attempt to play paws with him. The fox looked up with a grin but didn't reciprocate out of fear of being caught. Arthur continued to toy with him a bit they waited for the pup's parents to finish before beginning to clean up the table.

The mother was pleased by their efforts and thought to reward them with dessert, before remembering that they hadn't bought any sweets. Secretly she planned to go out after and snag them a granola bar or something similar. After they were done, both cubs were excused from the kitchen and allowed to return to their room. As they entered the room Arthur shut the drapes of the window as he didn't want the lights from the outside to peer in.

Arthur was the first one to sit down on the bed. He was feeling rather sore from the day and wanted to take a load off. Pent approached the side of the bed and looked down at him with a smile. Every time the fox kit smelled, he could pick up the subtle scent of something musky nearby. Little did he realize he was picking up the aroma of his friend who had worked up quite the sweat throughout the day. The puppy looked up at his friend who had a goofy grin on his face.

"What's with the face?" Arthur asked as he stuck out his tongue at Pent.

The fox shook his head. "Oh, nothing. You're just funny."

"Huh? What did I do?" The dog leaned up in the bed into a sitting position.

The smaller cub shrugged. "I dunno. I just thought it was funny how you went straight into bed."

"So? I'm tired. I wanted to just chill." The cub yawned out loud.

The kit moved to the foot of the bed. 'Maybe I can do something to help you relax?"

"Hmm?" Arthur looked at his friend who was maybe a meter at most away from him at the base of the bed.

Pent reached out rather slowly before his hand touched the other boy's feet. The fox's eyes remained fixed on one of the appendages as he looked at Arthur for approval. The dog smirked a bit before nodding. The smaller began to rub a single finger along the bottom of the other canines' paw. His touch slid quite easily over the moist sock but occasionally drifted around the paw pads of the other boy's foot.

"Oh, that feels good. Please don't stop." The bigger boy's face was even blushing a bit from the attention.

Pent smiled, knowing that his friend was enjoying his makeshift massage. The fox angled his finger a bit so that his claw could be used to scratch the other cub's paw. For a few moments, he began to dig his touch in between each of the other boy's toes before finally shifting to the other foot. Arthur couldn't help but close his eyes and enjoy the affection he was getting. He had never gotten his feet rubbed before but it felt nice as he experienced it for the first time.

A soft coo escaped Arthur's mouth a drip of saliva seeped out from the corner of his maw. The dog felt it drop out and immediately licked the side of his lip where it had come out. By this point, the musky smell had invaded Pent's nostrils and he was finding himself to rather enjoy it. Still, he managed to control himself despite a lingering desire to dig in his snout and sniff the underside of Arthurs paw.

After a few seconds, Pent dropped the foot back to the bed and they shared a moment of awkward silence. It took a moment for Arthur to recover but when he did, he patted the spot on the bed next to him to get Pent to join him. The fox smiled warmly back at him before shifting up on the bed from the bottom up. Gradually his body shifted before the two were eye to eye sharing the small space on the mattress.

The fox could smell the other boy more personally now but it wasn't quite as strong as his foot was just moments ago. But before he could think much about it, Arthur reached over and pulled him into a hug on the bed. Their extended noses met and the two shared a kiss for a few seconds. The dog even being as brave as to explore the other boy's mouth a bit. Pent's mind swimming as he rubbed the curves of his friends back with his hands.

The embrace remained for almost a minute but when it was finally broken, both of their faces were flush red from blushing. Each time the other breathed, they could feel the other's air pushing back their fur. They sat there for a moment staring into each other's eyes. Nothing was said as Arthur clutched Pent's paw and they shared a second kiss. It wasn't nearly as long as the first but the feeling was emphatic, they believed they were in love.

Soon they broke away from each other. Both knew they needed a shower, no matter how much Pent thought he liked the other cub's smell. A knock and yell through the door reminded them of that. Before long they each took a separate shower, not quite being as brave to see each other naked as they had in the past. Still, both seemed to be quite taken with each other, even going as far as to share the bed and cuddling against each other throughout the night.

Luckily for the two boys, Arthur's parents never walked in on them. After all, they still didn't know about the two's relationship. Arthur and Pent had been pretty secretive about it to this point. The rest of the trip went swimmingly, both boys snowboarded to their heart's content. The two promised that they would have to see the slopes again in the next year, happy to have made a friend and hope to see him again in the future.