Today was just about as normal of a day as it could be after what had happened over the short course of just a week. Most of the pups were outside, playing in the yard, which was nothing new. It was starting to get cold now, being late November, but that was fine. It wasn't going to stop them from living their lives.

However, not all the pups were outside having fun. There was one certain Dalmatian laying alone in his bed, confined from feeling any of the happiness that the others felt, despite his efforts to earn those feelings back.

Things had changed so much over the last few months for him, so much so that he was a completely new pup. He used to be full of life, energetic, almost always happy. Nowadays, he never wanted to leave his house, he never wanted to play with the others, he was just a shell of who he once was.

However, the silence he always despised in his puphouse was put to a close, when the Dally heard someone trying to open his door. Knowing exactly who it was, he forced himself out of bed and walked over. He opened it, revealing a smiling Husky with a bowl of food in her mouth.

"Eve...you know you shouldn't be carrying stuff." Marshall huffed. It had only been a week since she had lost her leg, and naturally, that had brought up multiple changes. Sure, she could mostly walk fine, but not for long, having to lay down and take breaks often.

Everest rolled her eyes at his remark and carefully set the bowl down, finally allowing her to speak. "I'm fine, Marshy, it's not like it was anything heavy. And besides, you didn't expect me to just let you sit in here and not eat, did you?" She asked, knowing full well that if she hadn't brought it herself, chances are he wouldn't have made the effort.

Ever since all the excitement had died down, the Husky was doing everything she could to help him in his recovery, despite the new problems she had to deal with. He had been so down recently, it seemed like most days he didn't even want to get out of bed.

However, she knew exactly why that was. Even though it was quite obvious he had it, in fact, they were sure he has had it for months now, they had recently taken the Dally to Haley's just to be positive. And although Everest was aware of what the final answer would be, it still hurt when it was made official.

Marshall had been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.

Naturally, the Husky was upset at first, but she knew better than to let her emotions get the better of her. Instead, she made it her goal to do whatever it took to help him wash away his pain.

That being said, she had her own issues too. Not only the obvious physical limitations but the emotional ones as well. She missed not being able to run and play to her full extent. She had always been active and outgoing, and that part of her had been stripped away.

However, Marshall had also been doing what he could to help her as well. From helping her walk straight, or even just simply encouraging her to lay down and take a break every once in a while. Both of them required the other's help, just in very different ways.

"Well, no. I guess I should've known better than that." The Dally replied, letting out a small laugh. Everest smiled and laid down next to him, already a bit worn out, but she also just wanted to stay near him to make sure he didn't feel alone again. Even her just leaving and getting his food probably made him anxious.

Eventually, Marshall started eating, which made the Husky satisfied. There were some days where even that was a challenge. He finished fairly quickly, but Everest could still tell he was upset, which unfortunately was common these days.

"What's wrong?" She questioned. The Dally let out a sigh, but he didn't give any further response, so she kept talking. "Marshy, don't ignore me. And don't just say that you're fine because we both know that wouldn't be true."

"I-I don't know, Eve. It just hurts." He whimpered, leaning into her side. The Husky looked at him with sympathy, knowing that he didn't mean physical pain. She had always thought mental pain was harder to deal with, which is why despite her own injuries, she still considered Marshall's conditions to be far more severe.

In an attempt to comfort him, Everest wrapped her leg around him and licked him a few times, remembering that her being more physical would tend to help him. "I know, Marshy, I know." She whispered. As she suspected, she could see a small smile grow on the Dally's face.

However, she wanted to do something else than just speaking. She knew there were better ways of helping him, most of which were recommended by Haley, his therapist. One of which happened to be simply going outside.

"Hey, I have an idea." The Husky stated. Marshall lifted his head up and looked at her, curious as to what she was thinking. "Let's go on a walk. Just us two. It'd be nice, right?" She offered. The Dally only raised an eyebrow, but she was ready for this, already aware of what he was going to say.

"No, we aren't doing that. You know you shouldn't be on your legs for too long and I don't want you getting hurt." He answered dryly. Everest sighed, even though she saw this coming a mile away. He was always concerned for her health, just like she was for him. It was like it had become part of their daily routine.

"Marshy, I'll be fine. Come on, it'd be good for both of us to get out. I promise I'll take a break if I need one, ok?" She insisted. Marshall went silent for a moment but eventually stood up.

"Alright, fine. But I'm serious, if you feel tired, just tell me and we can lay down." The Dally explained. Everest nodded and tried to stand by herself, but she was having a bit of trouble. Marshall bent down to help her, however, his offer was refused.

"Don't help me, I-I need to do this myself." She stated, despite it being clear she was struggling. Although he wanted to help, the Dally did as she asked. Standing up alone tended to be one of the biggest challenges for her, so it wasn't too much of a surprise when she ended up falling back on the ground, panting heavily from exhaustion.

"F-fine...y-you can help." She huffed in defeat. Marshall nodded and gave her the balance she needed, helping her fully stand this time. Normally, she wasn't the biggest fan of asking for his help as she knew he was already going through his own problems, but even she knew her limits.

Marshall grabbed a red scarf and beanie, then the two walked outside, being greeted with the cooling air of the season. Despite the warm clothes he had just put on, he still shivered a bit since his fur wasn't very long. Everest on the other hand wasn't cold at all. She was used to this weather and her winter coat had started to grow, so she'd be even less bothered by it. Regardless, she still huddled close to her mate, giving him extra warmth with her thick fur, and partially for her own balance.

The couple went over to their owner, who was simply sitting on the lawn with his own warm clothing on. "Hey, Ryder." The Husky called out, pulling his attention towards them. They both walked next to him as the boy gave both of them pats on the head.

"Hey you two, what's up?" He asked curiously, assuming they had come over to him for a reason other than to just say hi.

"Marshy and I are gonna go on a walk, I just figured I'd let you know." She explained. The boy raised an eyebrow at her, obviously a bit concerned with the idea of the Husky being on her paws for too long, but he still wasn't going to stop them. They both needed to get out.

"Alright, you two have fun. Don't be out for too long, and Everest, you make sure to take some breaks, got it?" He asked. The Husky nodded understandingly and the two turned and walked off.

The two walked next to each other for a while, enjoying the cold weather together. Everest was thankful she had managed to get him out, remembering that his therapist had said exercise was like a natural antidepressant.

However, even that had its problems. The Husky would still get tired quickly if she was on her legs, meaning she couldn't go out for too long. Marshall of course still hated being separated from her, so he'd never go out if she didn't.

After a while, Marshall was starting to notice that his mate was starting to lose her balance a bit. He looked up and studied her face. He could tell she was starting to get tired, which didn't come as a surprise in the slightest.

Just as he had expected, she turned over to him. "Sorry, but c-can we take a break? I really need to lay down." She requested.

"Of course we can. Come on, let's go over there." The Dally answered, nodding over towards a tree. The two walked over, well, Everest was more hobbling than walking. Regardless, they made it and the Husky nearly collapsed on the ground, it almost seemed like she could pass out.

"You ok?" Marshall asked as he carefully laid down next to her. Instead of responding, she leaned over into his side out of exhaustion, still panting heavily.

"Y-yeah...I-I just need a b-break." She responded, trying to catch her breath. The Dally got the hint and stayed quiet, allowing her to rest and not use up any energy trying to talk to him.

However, this whole process had brought another emotion, one he was all too familiar with. It was guilt, telling him this was his doing. That he was the very reason his mate would permanently suffer for the rest of her life.

It was something he ended up telling himself often. As much as he wanted to push those thoughts away, nothing ever seemed to work. He still blamed himself for her losing a leg, and everything else that had happened for that matter.

"H-hey, Marshy, you know none of this happened cause of you, right?" Everest asked, snapping him out of his trance. She had seen this look on his face far too many times, and at this point, she felt like she could read his mind.

The Dally only sighed, letting his ears droop. He knew there was no point in answering. Even if he tried to lie, she'd always just see right through him, there was never any reason in trying to get out of it.

"Nothing was your fault. There was nothing you could've done. And my leg will get better, one day I'll be fully healed, and so will you." She cooed, leaning on his body as she spoke. Marshall turned to her, with that same look of guilt on his face that almost always seemed to be there.

"I-I know you'll get better, but if I had just—" He tried to explain, only for Everest to put a paw over his mouth, muffling his usual explanation filled with self-doubt.

"I don't care, it's all done, it's in the past. You did nothing wrong. What matters is that we're both still here with each other, and we'll both help our wounds heal, won't we?" She asked hopefully, despite already knowing the answer.

"Of course I will, y-you deserve my help..." The Dally answered, although he trailed off and cut his own sentence short. Everest looked at him with sympathy written all over her face, having heard this same thing multiple times, or at least something similar.

"And you deserve mine, whether you think you do or not." She stated, refusing to take no for an answer, recalling what had already happened. The last time he had assumed he didn't deserve her, it ended in him breaking up with her for what he thought was her own good, which of course only made his mental health worse, and it didn't help hers either.

"Yeah, alright. Whatever you say Eve." He snapped, making it very obvious he wasn't convinced at all, but that was to be expected. Both her and his therapist had been trying to convince him otherwise, but it seemed that would still take some more time.

"Don't talk like that, of course you do. I love you, Marshy, I want to help you, and I want to help you realize that." The Husky whispered. Marshall thought for a moment, knowing what she was saying was true, but even that brought up yet another conflict.

"Y-you shouldn't." He mumbled, but still barely loud enough for Everest to hear him, who let out a small sigh and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well, too bad. I love you, and there's nothing you can do about it." She responded softly, forcing herself to get even closer to the Dally. Marshall let out a small, almost empty laugh before replying.

"You're not gonna give me a choice, are you?" He asked. Everest let out a cute giggle, which was always music to the Dally's ears, and shook her head.

"Nope, you're still my clumsy pup, and you always will be." She reminded him. Marshall smiled lightly, although the wording she had used caused him to freeze for a moment, as it was the same little nickname she had used back in the warehouse.

The Dally went dead silent and shut his eyes, recalling the situation. The bang of the gunshot, the blood pouring out his mate's leg, it all may have only been a memory now, but those were what hurt the most. That was never the experience that had caused him his trauma, however, it only added to his list of terrifying memories, making things worse than they already were.

Everest hadn't noticed anything at first, but she quickly caught on to his silence and realized her mistake. She slowly, as to not accidentally startle him, wrapped one of her front legs around him. He flinched as they made contact, however, he didn't put up any type of fight and allowed her to comfort him.

"Marshy, look at me." She demanded. Marshall did as she asked, slowly opening his eyes then looked into hers. As he gazed into her soft, blue eyes, the horrific memories slowly faded away, but they had already done their job.

"I know you're scared, but it's ok. Everything's gonna be ok. You're safe, love, both of us are." She cooed, lightly caressing his cheek with her paw. The Dally had tears forming in his eyes, but he managed to keep them there. He attempted to speak but found that only small whines came out of his mouth.

Instead of trying to say any more, the Husky simply brought his head to hers, watching as he took deep breaths. She was more than prepared to comfort him if he had another breakdown, which wouldn't have surprised her due to past experiences, but the Dally only looked at her with a question stirring in his mind.

"H-how? I mean, look at us, Eve. How is everything supposed to be ok when both of us clearly aren't?" He asked. Everest was a bit caught off guard, but the truth was, she wasn't exactly sure of how to answer. Instead, she went deep into thought, trying to think of a response as the two laid on the ground, keeping each from getting cold with their own body warmth.

"I...I don't know. But it'll get better one day, I promise." The Husky vowed, unable to come up with a clear answer. She noticed a few tears escape her mate's eyes, and she herself felt a few roll down her face. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Marshall had been right about one thing.

At the moment, nothing was okay, for either of them.