The portal spit me out on a patch of orange dirt with prickly weeds. I didn't even look where I was.

The snow on my pelt had melted already, and it made the dirt muddy.

I cried for a second. I had found a life that had been exciting, and friends other than my family. After getting a lick if the thing I desired most, it was all gone. I probably could have jumped back, but I wasn't sure it would work.

As the portal was closing, I got up and looked at it sadly. The air around it rippled, morphing the landscape I didn't care about currently.

Right as the portal was closing, Kota popped through. "Move!" He yelled.

I jumped out if the way, and he landed on a weird looking plant with spikes. "Aahghk!!"

Marsha and the husky came out at the same time, right as the portal was fading. They rolled together, dust flying about.

"W-what the heck are you guys doing here?!" I roared.

The husky spit out dirt. "Well, we couldn't just leave you! You haven't been trained yet."

"I obviously have," I said. "I can take care of myself."

Kota stepped out of the plant, growling. "Would you rather us leave you?" He asked.

I felt my defenses fall. My eyes softened, and I hung my head lower. "I-I'm not sure." Inside, I was overjoyed that my friends came. But they had to defend the North Pole.

"Brutus obviously thinks you could ruin his plans." Marsha said. "Whatever they may be. He wouldn't waste his time attacking a newbie if you weren't important."

She had a good point. Kota said he had been training since April, and I was just a little better than him. (don't tell him I said that; he'd punch me.)

Pain started collecting in my back legs, so I sat down before I could yell.

Where the portal had dropped us off... it was beautiful, but I had seen nothing like it. It looked like Mars. Orange, cream, rust and everything in between dripped on giant rocks. The sand was orange, and a few scraggly plants popped from it like bones. A dark orange road Ran through a slight valley bellow us had lots off cars on it, but they would stop at some sort of booth. After someone inside it would hand them some papers, the car would drive down the road. I couldn't see a river, but I could hear it. A few snow patches decorated the landscape, but it was otherwise dry. The sky was gray, as if it might snow.

The quick switch from winter wonderland to candy corn desert was making me hot, and my paws were burning and itchy.

"Alright," I said, "If Brutus wants me away from the other chasers, then we have to get back some how. But where are we?" I asked.

Kota squinted his eyes towards a sign. "Zion..." He said.

"What?" Marsha asked.

"I'm not sure. We have to look around, ask directions."

"How do we know animals live here? I defiantly wouldn't." The husky said.

"Can't we just ask the people? We can talk, of course." I said.

"We aren't supposed to expose ourselves. If you do, you'll end up dissected in a lab." Marsha said. I didn't know what that meant, but it probably wasn't good. "Besides, most of them don't believe in Santa or the north pole."

"How could that be?!" I asked.

She shrugged.

"Anyway, we can't just ask them. Finding animals, preferably smart ones, is the only way." The husky said.

"Well, don't you guys just have a portal thing? It would be easier..." I said.

They quickly checked their scarves, then all of them but Marsha growled. "I only have one," She said, "But in order to travel anywhere, it has to be snowing."

My heart fell. According to the tiny prices of snow around, it could snow, but with the heat, It just wouldn't. Maybe rain, but other wise nothing would happen.

"Then, let's start looking!" I said. "I don't like it here!"

"Alright; Marsha and Jova will walk near the road, but stay hidden. It would be best if the people don't see big cats around."

We nodded in agreement.

"Me and Mika will walk down this hill, and hide behind the rocks and bushes. If you meet someone, head by the river and call for the rest of us. If there is trouble, call out twice."

We nodded, then headed down the hill. It was steep, but I could get my grip on the rock. Behind the hill was the river, and shadows were cast everywhere. The river babbled and rushed, but it wasn't terribly dangerous.

"You should take those off first." Kota said.

"Take what off?" I asked.

"The claws. They'll get dull pretty quick."

He waited for me as I un-latched them slowly.

"What do I do with them?" I asked.

He pondered for a second, then his face lit up. "Ah! I know. Wait a sec."

He reached his muzzle between the folds in his scarf, and pulled out a thin yellow rope.

He handed it to me. "How on Earth do you fit all that stuff in your scarf?! It doesn't even have pockets!" I asked.

"It's magic. Mrs. Claus has some magic sheep. She spins their wool, then knits it into scarves."

I laced the rope through the claw's rings, then tied the rope over my neck and shoulder. "What else can they do?" I asked as we continued again.

"They can grow or shrink a little." He added.

I was glad to get out if the heat and into the shade; I just wasn't made for heat. Although it was cooler in the shade, I was panting in no time.

"Could you stop breathing so heavy?" Kota asked.

"I'm sorry, it's not my fault I have a ton of fur!"

"I have allot of fur. I'm not hot."

He he... not hot. As in, well, you know. I reached out to pet his fur and really see how much he had, but he slid away.

"Don't pet me!" He said.

I laughed a little. "Well, you're from the jungle, so you're used to the heat."

"Actually," He said nonchalantly, "I'm not."

"Well, then where are you from?" I asked.

He sighed. "I-I'm not sure, to tell the truth. Ever since I could remember, I've been at the North pole."

Okay, now I was confused.

"So, you're from the North Pole..." I said.

"No, the earliest I remember was being there."

"How old were you?" I asked.

"About nine months, but I remember absolutely nothing before that. It's not fuzzy; it's gone. Like my life started right then.

"The first thing I saw was... Dover."

His eyes turned to a dark blue.

"Who was Dover?" I asked hesitantly.

"He's a dog. He was my friend."

"Was, as in past tense. What happened?"

"It doesn't matter. I don't care about him anymore."

I could tell from his tone that it really did matter, but I didn't bug him about it.

We followed the river in silence for a while, staying hidden in the rocks and cotton trees. The trees were mainly bare, but cotton and dead leaves littered the ground like snow.

We saw Marsha and Jova walking by the orange road, but they were the only other animals we saw for a while. We saw some squirrels, but they would run away at the sight of us.

The red rocks around us were beautiful. I would stare at them; soaking up the beauty of it all till each scene passed my view.

We walked for hours. The trail was easy at first, and Marsha and Jova were an orb-throw away. But the path started winding around intricate land forms, along with the river. I had no idea how Marsha and Jova were doing, but me and Kota were walking through a tight canton with steep sides, wading through ice cold water.

"Ughh, when will we find someone?!" I moaned in frustration.

"Stop whining," Kota said. "Just keep walking."

"But it's so boring!!! I can't feel my paws!!"

"I can't either," He grumbled.

"Well, let's talk or something. You're so quiet." I said.

He didn't respond. I growled in response.

<><><><>

We got out of the canyon by the time the sun was gone. I could feel frost between my toes. It was plenty cold to freeze water, but not snow.

But for what the temperature was here, means about the normal for the Russian forest I had just left, so it felt refreshing.

Kota and I walked through intricate landforms, seeing the river make a waterfall or rapids here and there.

The stars were sparkling in the night sky. The moon was half full, and almost to the top of it's peak.

Fatigue was rushing over me. I then realized I hadn't slept since I was in Russia. I guessed Kota hadn't either.

My eyelids were heavy, like magnets. Both mine and Kota's movements were sluggish.

"All right, if you see anywhere we could take shelter, let me know."

I was so tired, I curled up under a half-grown tree.

Kota sighed, then curled up on the other side of the tree. I fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.