It was pretty much zero surprise that Audrey wasn't going to be fully acting like her usual self for a while, it had only been two days since the incident. Overall, she was handling it shockingly well, she was able to get through most parts of the day as her normal, hyperactive self.

With that being said, her caretakers could tell that at her core she was still scared and confused, lost in the process of grief. She was happy to be with them, but she had made it obvious that she missed her biological parents, as well as being terrified of having to leave them soon, although that wasn't talked about as much.

And after hardly getting any sleep the night when she learned what happened to her parents, along with the load of stress throughout the following day, it was almost a given that another seizure would follow. She was even able to give them a warning right before it happened. From then on, they only spent the day laying around the lookout and playing board games while she tried to both physically and mentally recover.

But for today, at least, they decided to get her out and about while they still could, although they made sure to offer frequent breaks. And the place they had decided to spend the day was Jake's cabin, both of her caretakers agreed it would distract her for a while, plus it would let her see him before she got adopted.

Although, the downside was that they had to drive to get there, which wasn't helping her stress in the slightest. Since Everest was the one behind the wheel, Audrey clutched onto the Dalmatian with her head buried into his side. It had taken forever to get in the car, they were honestly just glad to have gotten her inside at all.

"Don't worry, Princess, we're almost there. Mommy knows what she's doing, we'll be fine," he quietly reassured her, despite knowing it wouldn't do much. It was perfectly reasonable for her to hate driving the way she did, thankfully they lived close enough to town where it wasn't necessary often.

The pup never audibly responded, only barely nodding to show that she had heard him while she panted heavily. He continued to gently stroke her back, letting his paw run against her fur and the dark purple blanket she continued to insist on wearing as a scarf. From what he could tell, he was making it at least bearable for her.

A few seconds passed before they could feel the vehicle slowing down, finally causing her to glance up. The cabin was within view, and before she knew it, they had gradually come to a halt. Right when she knew she had the chance, she leaped out of the snowcat and stretched her legs, her mind still dying down from her fears.

"Do your legs hurt?" Everest called out as she and Marshall climbed down beside her. The Border Collie hesitantly shook her head, more focused on the cold power surrounding her paws than on whatever she was being told. She looked up and quickly noticed the man walking out of the cabin, finally giving her an excuse to get her head out of the car ride.

"Hi, Gwandpa Jake!" she gleefully exclaimed, running next to him and plopping down at his foot. The male smiled and gently picked her up, catching her off guard at first, but she allowed him to do so anyway.

"Jeez, Audrey, you've gotten bigger. Are you excited for today?" he asked, petting her head. The Border Collie smiled and nodded, licking his face before being set back down against the snow. She brought her head to the ground, giggling to herself as she pressed her paws in and out of the frozen powder. After a quick, makeshift snowball in her caretakers' direction, she glanced back up, remembering the conversation she was a part of.

"I-I'm not that much biggew," she protested, fully denying what was obviously the truth. Jake didn't even bother to try and argue with her, no matter what he said, she'd somehow always have a comeback. Instead, he only petted her head and motioned for her to walk inside before opening the door to allow the three entrance.

Him and Marshall exchanged a quick high five as the Dalmatian entered the room. Even if he knew better, he held out his palm for Everest, inviting her to do the same. Of course, they both knew that was in vain, the offer only ended in her jumping up with her front legs against his shoulders. She managed to get a few licks on his face before he gently tried to push her down, the only issue being that a fully grown husky wasn't the easiest to move without cooperation.

With a smirk on her face, she finally freed him and walked inside along with the other two while the door shut behind her. She turned her head around, only to see Audrey with a confused, almost judgmental glare. Unsure of its source, the husky tilted her head, awaiting an answer to the questioning expression.

"Mommy, didn't you say we weren't allowed to jump on humans?" Everest opened her mouth in self-defense, planning to have something in return, but in the end, she had nothing to back herself up with. The pup wasn't wrong, and she knew that too, given by the smile on her face as she walked next to the Dalmatian. This was one of the only drawbacks of her understanding of how to speak, she was too skilled of an arguer for her own good.

"W-well...you're allowed to jump on Grandpa Jake, he doesn't mind it. It's humans that you don't know well you shouldn't jump on, if you know they're okay with it, then it's fine." Audrey hardly seemed fazed by the new edition to the rule, only giggling as she nodded. The husky shook her head and sighed, already aware that she had been bested. Even then, she took her loss with honor, knowing she'd miss this once it was gone.

"So that's the rule now, Eve?" Marshall asked, only earning him a push of the shoulder from her, all in good fun of course. The Border Collie left his side and jumped up on the couch, looking down at them both while she laid down and barked to grab their attention.

"Mommy, when can we go...s-sledding? Is that what it's called?" Everest smiled and carefully leaped up next to her, something she still wasn't the best at with her metal leg. She had promised a while ago that they would try sledding the next time they went up here, a promise that she thankfully didn't forget. It took a bit of consideration to decide whether to stand by it or not, though, given that the pup was still recovering from yesterday's seizure.

"You're right, it's called sledding. And we can go now if you want to, it doesn't take long to get everything out." The Border Collie immediately had her response and sat up while her tail began wagging eagerly, her face pleading for them to continue. "Well, I guess that answers that. Jake, can you go get the sleds and stuff?"

"Yep, It'll only take a second, you guys can go ahead and go outside if you want," he answered, throwing his hat and jacket on before walking outside. The dogs already had their warm clothing items, just a hat and scarf were all they'd ever need with their fluffy fur. Audrey always wore a scarf anyway, the only way they could wash it for her was by sneaking it off in her sleep.

"Hey, Marshy, are you gonna be okay out there?" Everest suddenly called out, gripping onto him before they had the chance to fully leave, successfully getting him to stop and turn around.

"I'll be fine, don't worry, I can handle it." The husky smiled and nodded, she could see he was being honest with her. He didn't look nervous, at least in comparison to the last time they went out in snow here. In fact, he seemed mostly excited, like he actually wanted to do this instead of desperately trying to stay inside with her as she often remembered.

"Daddy, c'mon, I wanna go," Audrey pleaded with him, gently pulling his paw in the direction of the door. Everest chuckled lightly as Marshall was dragged outside by the pup, only for him to receive a snowball to the face. About a month ago he probably wouldn't have been doing this unless she stayed with him the entire time, if at all. The youngest always seemed to be able to work her magic on him.

But for now, she let herself put the past behind her. She jogged outside and joined them, grabbing a quick ball of snow and coming to her mate's rescue. The collie laughed and wiped the frozen powder away from her side, then looked at them and gently ran her paws through the ground.

"This is called snow, right?" she asked, getting a small nod from her elders who sat down their previously made snowballs. She smiled slightly, sighing before looking back down at the cold powder. "My othew Mommy said she always wanted to see snow."

"Well, I think both of your other parents would be happy to see you being able to play in it." The husky sat her paw against the pup's shoulder in a comforting manner. It hadn't been very uncommon for her to talk about her biological parents within the last couple of days, and the conversations regarding them tended to have very different outcomes. It was still a sensitive topic, sometimes talking about them would lift her spirits, and sometimes it would do the opposite, making it a gamble every time they spoke about it.

"Daddy always told her it was pwetty, just like she was. I guess he was wight, they'we both weally pwetty," she recalled with a small giggle. Her caretakers silently exhaled from relief after hearing her laugh, confirming that this was one of the better discussions regarding them. Plus, they couldn't deny, it was pretty funny to hear her remembering her parents joking flirts with each other.

"Heh, I'm sure your mom was pretty. You are her daughter, after all." Audrey immediately blushed at the lavender dog's remark, planting her paws against the snow firmly.  The older two laughed softly, it was hard not to when she tried to look upset with them, emphasis on tired. It barely took any effort to make her flustered.

"T-thanks, Mommy," she stuttered out, turning away and beginning to play in the snow. It could've been her just avoiding the compliment, or the usual case of her attention span running out, either one was just as likely as the other. She ended up rolling over in the snow, doing what resembled a snow angel, and that was all they bothered looking at until Everest felt a small tap on her shoulder.

"Hey, Eve, what's up with you today? You seem...better than you usually do. Trust me, I'm glad to see you happy, but I'm just curious, did something happen?" The husky turned to her mate, she had a feeling he would ask her this at some point. He wasn't wrong, she had been feeling better today, and she had no shame in showing it. With a grin, she brought both of her front paws up, bringing them up to his eyesight before setting them back down.

"I'm two weeks clean today," she answered with a genuine smile. The Dalmatian's eyes widened as she wrapped her front legs around his neck. At first, he was only shocked by her willingness to discuss this, but that very quickly turned into pride. Audrey was distracted, allowing him to lean forward and gift her with a quick kiss before pulling back and running his paw down her cheek.

"That's amazing, honey, I'm really proud of you. How do you feel about it?" he asked in return, tightly hugging her. She gladly let herself enter his embrace, pressing her head against his shoulder while burying her muzzle in his fur. Warm and cozy, like a fleece blanket by the fireplace, just as it always was.

"I-I'm just...glad that it's getting better, I know it's not where I want it to be, b-but I don't even remember the last time I could go that long." Marshall nodded, content with her answer, and gently let go of her. He could tell she still wasn't the most comfortable talking about it, so he didn't drag the conversation on any longer than he had to.

"That's fine, these things don't go away overnight. You're doing better, that's what counts. You should feel good about it." The husky quickly nuzzled his neck in thanks, she could see how sincere his expression was. Just as Audrey's was, who had just magically appeared next to them, although hers was merely confusion.

"What did Mommy do?" Everest froze, having no clue how to break it down into an easier, non-detailed explanation for her. Her mate, on the other hand, gently sat his paw against her shoulder, pausing for a moment for a chance to come up with a tame answer.

"Mommy did something she's been working very hard on. It's like when you took your medicine with water, remember? It's like that for her." The pup opened her mouth widely, silently letting out an "ohhh" as she put the pieces together. Of course, she didn't have all the details, she was far too young for that. But she still quickly turned and wrapped her legs around the husky's lavender fur while glancing upwards.

"Good job, Mommy!" she congratulated, although she still wasn't exactly sure what was being celebrated. Everest smiled and squeezed her in return, gently setting her head against the Border Collie's. She knew Marshall would probably be proud of her for it, but Audrey remained—thankfully—unaware of her addiction. And yet she still gave praise for it.

"Thank you, sweetheart. That really means a lot to me." The pup grinned and let go, turning her attention away to the crunching of the snow sneaking upon them. Just as promised, Jake had hauled over two sleds, each of which was pulled by a string in his hands.

"Not sure what we're talking about, but congrats on whatever you did, dudette. And here are the sleds, one for Audrey, and one that you two can share. If you want, you can just use the small hill over there until she's comfortable with it," he suggested, pointing to the slope against the entrance to the woods around the cabin. It was small, and not overly steep in the slightest. Perfect for a beginner.

"Thanks, Jake. Oh, and did you get that old skiing helmet?" Everest questioned. The man nodded and pulled the smaller sled forward, revealing the tiny helmet laying inside. She thanked him and gripped the string meant to pull the wooden sled in her mouth, dragging it alongside her. Marshall quickly grabbed the second and followed behind her, and of course, Audrey followed wherever they went.

"Alright, Marshy, you stay at the bottom and wait for her. I'll take her up and show her what to do, sound good?" The Dally gave her a quick thumbs up—or at least the closest thing possible to a thumbs up for a dog—giving her permission to continue. She motioned for the pup to trail along as she yanked the sleds up to the top of the slope, with Audrey closely climbing behind her.

"So...what do we do now, Mommy?" The husky turned back, silently running through the process in her head. She was an expert on this, no doubt about that, the only thing she wasn't sure about was how to teach someone else. Eventually, she made up her mind and grabbed the helmet out of the sled before facing the pup.

"First, you're going to put this on," she instructed, leaning closer. Audrey groaned in annoyance, but she thankfully didn't try to fight it as the helmet clipped around her neck. It fit almost perfectly, but she unsurprisingly batted it with her paw in a desperate attempt to get it off.

"Why do I have to wear this?" she asked irritably, setting her paw back against the snow once she realized it wasn't going to do her any good. Everest sighed and shifted the helmet a bit, hoping it might make it a bit more bearable for her, especially considering she would only be allowed to go sledding if she kept it on.

"Because it protects your head. Without this, if you fell off and hit your head too hard, another one of your scary things could happen. And we don't want that, right?" The pup knew she had a point, she'd do a lot if it meant reducing her seizure, eventually at least. She was already feeling the effects from her previous one, more on top of that would've just been exhausting.

"B-but if I weaw this, they won't happen?" The husky shook her head, and almost immediately Audrey gave up and quit picking at her helmet. Now that her situation was settled, Everest carefully scooted both sleds on the edge of the hill. "Will you show me how to do it now?"

"Yep, it's pretty simple. All you gotta do is lay on the sled, give yourself a little push, and just hold on. Here, I can show you." She carefully lined up her sled, making sure she wouldn't slide down and accidentally hit Marshall. And once she found a good enough angle, she laid herself against the wood, pushed off the snow, and fell down the slope.

It was pretty tame compared to the hills she'd usually go down, whether it was like this or using a snowboard, but after this long without doing so, it was just enough to give her that small adrenaline boost. Unfortunately, it ended as soon as it started, and she slowly skidded to a stop. The Dalmatian stuck out his paw, and she gladly accepted his offer as he pulled her up.

The husky shook herself to rid her fur of the excess snow before turning back to Audrey, who had a wide grin on her face, clearly entertained by the show. She quickly jogged back up to the top, sitting down and panting next to the pup who eagerly waited for her moment to shine.

"S-see? Like that. It's sort of like the slide you go on at the park, only on the snow. You think you're ready to give it a shot?" The Border Collie nodded excitedly, leaping on top of the sled in anticipation.

"Yep!" she confidently exclaimed. Everest helped her line up the sled at an ideal angle before looking down at Marshall, who gave her a quick smile to show that he was ready. The pup laid down, her front paws gripped against the front before she realized she actually needed movement to get going. "Uhm, Mommy, can you push me?"

"Of course, hold on. 3...2...1...go!" Just as promised, the husky gently pushed her back, that being enough pressure to move her off the edge. Her eyes widened as her grip tightened, but she was excited nonetheless, feeling the sudden gust of wind blowing against her face. She effortlessly flew down the hill, with bits of snow flying into her face in the process.

She could feel her heart pounding out of her chest as she picked up speed, but not necessarily in a bad way. It was thrilling, she loved it, the jolt of excitement as she rushed down the icy powder. Her oldest guardian was right, this was like the slide, only more intense in pretty much every category.

But, much to her disappointment, she quickly noticed that the ground was slowly beginning to flatten. And before she had the chance to come to a stop by herself, a spotted pair of legs appeared and gently pressed on her sled to bring her to a halt.

"Hey, Princess. How was it?" After recovering from the initial shock, she stretched her legs and looked up at the Dalmatian. As fun as it was, she could tell that she was starting to feel her muscles aching again, and even more so once she climbed out of her sled.

"I-I liked it, it was weally fun, b-but..." Marshall tilted his head curiously, now seeing the small frown working its way onto her face. Everest also managed to notice their slow movements and lack of excitement, causing her to quickly sled down to see what was the matter. "M-my legs are huwting again."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Here, let's lay down for a bit until they feel better, that's nothing to feel bad about. Thank you for telling us," the Dalmatian answered, already setting himself against the snow as his mate did the same. Audrey slowly nodded and joined them, her guilt for stopping the fun subsiding once she cuddled in between them.

The coolness of the snow seemed to be helping, slowly eating away at the pain in her legs. It was peaceful and quiet now, just what she needed to let herself rest. All she had to focus on was her caretakers, she had no issue nuzzling against each of them while she enjoyed the moment. At least, until Marshall's tag began ringing.

The Dally curiously leaned his tag up after hearing the sound, and the other two's ears perked up while they leaned closer. It was Ryder calling, that much wasn't too surprising. But it was why he was calling that remained a mystery, one that would be solved sooner than later.

"Hey, Ryder, what's up?" he greeted. Once the cameras had fully turned on, Audrey quickly pressed against his face, forcing herself into the frame as she happily barked at the screen. The boy chuckled lightly at her determination to be visible by the camera, greeting all three of them in return.

However, as the older two were able to get a better glimpse at him, it was easy to see his more noticeable features. He looked nervous, almost guilty about something, which certainly didn't help with the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Not exactly a good sign to see when picking up a call.

"Hey, guys. Uhm...are you three busy right now?" The trio looked at each other and shook their heads. Now it wasn't just his expression that felt off and gave them a bad feeling, his tone of voice had been added to the list. All these red flags were starting to become worrisome, creating a shadowy feeling of dread looming over top of them.

"No, we're just letting Audrey rest her legs for a few. Why? Is everything okay?" Ryder became radio silent, his lips clenched together as his eyes fell away from the camera. He took a deep breath before fully looking at them, and only then did the oldest two realize where this might be going.

They immediately wished they could freeze the moment, lock it away and savor it forever before it was ruined. But it was too late for any changes, they were only fast enough to catch on as the boy opened his mouth and spoke the single sentence that had been holding its grasp on them for the past month.

"Well...Katie found someone who's interested in adopting Audrey."

The two felt their hearts sink to the bottom of their chests, leaving empty shells as their temporary replacement. They knew this would happen sooner or later, but this still felt too soon. Just seconds ago they were smiling and cuddling, but no, even that simple break couldn't go unpunished. Parts of them had begged and pleaded the world for another way out, but as of now, their calls for help had been neglected.

"D-do you know when they'll take her?" Everest finally spoke up, being the first of them to say anything. Audrey seemed surprisingly quiet during the conversation, but she was very clearly paying attention, she appeared to be more shocked than anything. Marshall, meanwhile, looked absolutely mortified, as if he was the one being sent to a new home.

"Katie said she would bring her over to the lookout tomorrow, and if she likes Audrey, she'll probably take her then. And yes, she knows about her epilepsy, she wants to help with it. I'm sorry, I know you two love her. You've both been amazing foster parents." The two glanced at each other in horror, quickly finishing up the conversation before the call ended.

Foster parents. That really was all they were, wasn't it? They knew that was what they signed up for, it was no fine print hidden within the contract. But out of all the times this has to happen, why now? She was grieving, still finding her way around this dark world. And now any chance they had at acting as a guide, showing her how to heal and fight her battles, was officially ripped away.

"D-Daddy, d-does that mean I have to leave tomorrow?" the pup quietly asked, although deep down she seemed to know the answer. No one in their right minds wouldn't want to adopt her, believing that there was a chance whoever her new owner wouldn't like her was just false hope. Her caretakers looked at her with sympathy, making eye contact as they noticed the sorrow building upon her face. She was just aware as they were.

After everything they had gone through together, this really was the end. Audrey's name being given to her, unpacking her stuff after she moved in, her first words, her epilepsy diagnosis, the night when she had to learn about her biological parents. All gone, thrown out the window simply because they weren't lucky enough to keep what felt so real.

The clock was ticking, they had less than a full day to spend together. Their final hours as a family were upon them.