The Dalmatian felt his eyes slowly open, the grogginess of the early morning having an almost gravitational pull on him into the bed. He could see the bits of sunlight sneaking through the window of their puphouse, forcing him awake to start the day. With a quiet groan, he glanced down to see the situation he'd be presented with.

As he had figured, Audrey was still fast asleep, nestled against his side with her head on top of his leg. He smiled and gently pulled the blanket that had fallen off back over her, causing her to whine happily in her sleep and wrap her paws around his own. It was nice seeing her so peaceful now, knowing that would likely change when she woke up. Today was the big day, after all.

Now that she was taken care of, he brought his eyesight up to Everest to see if she was awake or not. As his suspicions told him, the husky still had her head down against the bed, but her eyes were open and looking at him. She smiled lightly and raised her head as they made eye contact, allowing him to breathe at the sight of someone else with him.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked quietly, letting out a small laugh. They both knew they hadn't slept well, given the small exchange around midnight where she asked him if he was still awake, only to get an immediate response. His mate let out something in between a laugh and an annoyed groan as she shook her head. "Yeah, I didn't think so, I didn't either. Are you ready for later?"

"Not in the slightest. Can't we just...stay in here and avoid it all? I really don't wanna do today." Marshall sighed, if he was able to grant her wish, he would have without hesitation. Unfortunately, he was no magical genie, no wishful thinking would avoid Audrey being taken away from them.

"I don't either, but we don't have much of a choice. Maybe we can talk her owner into letting Audrey spend the night here before leaving? I dunno, I'm not ready either, I just hope it's bearable for her." The husky shrugged and sat her head back down, huffing as she did so. Even if they did somehow buy some extra time with her, it wouldn't mean anything in the long run. They had to say goodbye sooner than later.

"Let's just hope she handles it better than we probably will," she added, although they both knew it was far from true, the pup had easily been the most stressed out of the three of them. After the phone call yesterday, this was all she had been able to think about, as well as plotting hundreds of excuses to try and get out of it.

At one point, she tried to get Ryder to tell Katie that she wasn't feeling well so her new owner wouldn't come today, which almost worked until the two of them walked in on their conversation. And despite knowing she needed consistent rest for her seizures, she even attempted to talk them into letting her stay up all night so she didn't have to waste hours on sleeping. Of course, nothing she did was able to give her what she wanted.

Before they could have any more of their private discussion, Marshal felt a shift in the weight on him. By this point, he knew exactly what that meant and threw on a smile while looking down at the pup. She had nuzzled closer to him, rolling around with her back legs stretching out and her eyes still shut.

"M-mowning, Daddy," she whispered, gently opening her eyes and gazing up at him. The older two worriedly glanced at each other, now that all three of them were stuck with the chore of starting the day, there was no telling what mood she'd be waking up with. She followed his eyes and noticed the awoken husky next to her, causing her to make a quick addition to her greeting. "And Mommy."

"Good morning, Princess. Did you sleep well?" The Border Collie didn't respond at first, only stretching out her legs again as she yawned. Her paws fumbled in the space around her until they found the stuffed penguin she usually slept with, allowing her to snuggle it closer under her chin. Only then did she bring her head back up to answer.

"I slept okay. D-do I leave today?" The Dalmatian bit his lip nervously, hearing her already jump to the chase without even giving him time to breathe. He already felt guilty, knowing he'd have to start her day off with disappointment, and this was just the start of what was to come.

"Y-yes, Katie will bring your new owner over later so you can go with her. But don't worry, I'm sure she'll be super nice. Maybe she'll even have other dogs for you to be friends with, you could have a brother or sister. Wouldn't that be fun?" Audrey only nodded, sighing quietly as she hugged the stuffed animal against her chest.

"You'we sure I can't stay here? I weally like it, I don't wanna leave you two." This had to have been the hundredth time that they'd heard this question, or at least one similar, not that it was annoying for them. Just hurtful, knowing how desperately she was trying to stay when each time her hopes had to be shut down.

"We would let you stay here if we could, but it's still not up to us. Let's just take it one step at a time, okay? How does a big breakfast sound?" the Dally offered. The pup smiled lightly and accepted the compromise, despite it being obvious that she hadn't gotten the answer she desired. But instead of pushing it further, she stood up, extending her legs before walking over to her water bowl.

Her caretakers pried themselves out of bed and joined her for their morning routine, something they had actually managed to turn into a game for her. She had made it quite clear that she was terrified of her epilepsy, and her medicine tended to be a reminder of the seizures she could experience. So, the idea was made to give her something fun to think about instead of worrying about her disorder, and surprisingly it seemed to work for them as well.

It was nothing fancy or strictly organized, just a simple competition to see who could take the biggest sip of water with their pills, preferably without accidentally spilling any. But Audrey was competitive, that was enough to distract her. And despite her being considerably smaller than them both, she tended to have a pretty good streak going in her favor, one that didn't die today.

After accepting their defeat once more, the two tiredly opened the door and made their way outside, with the youngest being the last to leave. The sun beamed down on the trio, the sky was without a cloud in sight. An objectively beautiful day, but that didn't make it any easier for them to push through it. The pup jogged to the elevator and waited for her guardians to follow, sitting in front of the door with her tail wagging slowly.

"I-I don't know if I can do this, Eve, it doesn't feel right," Marshall muttered to her quietly. The husky sighed sympathetically, she adored Audrey, and this was a type of pain she had never experienced before, however she could tell it hurt him more than it did her. He may not have been showing it as much, and neither was she—all to keep the collie from worrying—but she was positive that they would be miserable once the pup left.

"It doesn't, but we just have to get through it. Like you told her, one step at a time. We have to be strong, for her sake, she's really gonna need us today." The Dalmatian nodded solemnly, it wasn't like he could argue with her logic. No matter how much this hurt him, the pup needed to be placed on the pedestal she deserved and leave with fond memories, not them being anxious the whole time.

But it was impossible to not think about it, regardless of him knowing it would help. It was like the day of the medical exam Ryder had given him, he spent the entire day with an aching pain without any room in his head for other thoughts. However, that he at least knew had a chance of ending well, this was the pup they had raised together being taken away. No amount of preparations would save them.

"Let's just try not to think about it too much, I'd rather enjoy what time we have left with her." Trying to ignore the sharpened hurt in his voice, Everest silently agreed and trudged across the lawn until the two caught up with the Border Collie. The pup eyed them both carefully, scanning them as if she was judging whether or not they were up to something. The Dalmatian smiled meekly, putting an end to her curiosity as they went inside.

She stayed fully quiet as they rode up the elevator, except for the anxious taps coming from her paw against the floor. No words were needed to express herself, her body language said everything. Her tail had nervously wrapped itself around her, along with the furry shield she had taken cover in, also known as Marshall's fur.

The doors finally opened and gave them access to the main floor, giving them no more excuses to keep to themselves. The rest of the team was already going about as if it were just a regular day, which for them it probably was. Some were just getting up and eating their breakfast, some—well, mainly two in particular—were cuddled up on the couch, watching whatever was on the TV.

Audrey was the first to slowly walk out into the lookout, earning her a few "good mornings" from the ones she called her aunt and uncles. She quietly answered all of them with a similar greeting, glancing at all of them with a small smile. Crowds such as this one still weren't her favorite, but over time she had gotten through her shyness and formed bonds with every last one of them. Yet another aspect of this family she knew she'd miss soon.

"Oh, morning, you three. Your food is on the counter, so go ahead and eat up, then...well, I'm sure you know what to do," their owner greeted upon seeing them. The trio quietly said their hellos and walked into the kitchen to get their meal—what might've been their final one together. The pup sat on the floor, eagerly waiting as they tossed in a couple of treats, just as promised. The husky gripped her bowl and lowered it to the floor, but just before placing it down, she froze and left her waiting in anticipation.

"Actually, how about we eat in the living room today?" she offered. Audrey tilted her head in confusion after hearing the suggestion. After the countless shenanigans they had gotten up to before, she had learned that it wasn't too uncommon for either of her elders to bend whatever rules they were given, especially Everest, but she'd usually at least wait for Ryder to not be around.

"But Wyder said we couldn't eat on the couch," she hesitantly complained, despite never being a strict rule follower herself. She curiously glanced over at the boy, who barely had any reaction, either simply not hearing them or not against it enough to bother stopping them.

"It'll be okay today, don't worry. If he tells you that you can't, I'll talk some sense into him." The husky winked at her as the pup giggled and nodded, grabbing onto her bowl and dragging it alongside her into the living room. Needing a bit of help, she heaved it onto the couch before jumping up with them and lying comfortably against the cushion. With the aroma of kibble and liver treats now floating into her nose, she quickly dug into her meal without mercy.

"Hey, Audrey, how'd ya sleep?" The Border Collie brought her face out of her food bowl, glancing up at the Cockapoo smiling down at her. She slowly returned her expression, seeing both her and Chase—whose back she was currently laying on. They both seemed happy to see her, and she couldn't say she felt differently. Out of all the dogs here—except her caretakers, of course—they could tell she was the closest with them.

"Hi, Auntie Skye. I-I slept okay. What about you and Uncle Chase?" she asked in return. The German Shepherd only let out a small yawn, which seemed to be enough of an answer on its own. Either way, he managed to turn his head over and glance at her as they quickly exchanged their own greetings.

"I slept pretty good, Uncle Chase still seems to be tired though," Skye answered, playfully placing her paws on his forehead. The male laughed it off and pushed her paw away, only postponing his fate as she turned her attention back to the pup. "Are you excited to meet your new owner?"

"W-well...I-I guess. Wyder said she would be nice to me, b-but I still wanna stay with Mommy and Daddy." The Cockapoo slowly nodded, quickly glancing up at her caretakers who could really only shrug in response, there wasn't anything they could say that they hadn't already. She wasn't sure where to take this now, she only wanted to make small talk, not scare her.

"Uhm, I wouldn't worry too much about it, whoever she is must be nice. If Katie talked to her and thinks she's okay, don'tcha think she's at least worth a shot?" she asked in return, throwing on a nervous, makeshift smile. It was hard to tell if she was helping or making it worse, she wasn't being given many clues to work with.

"I hope so," Audrey answered before going back to finishing her breakfast. Skye got the hint and went quiet, laying her head back down on her living pillow. She silently mouthed an apology to the pup's guardians, who only shook their heads in acceptance.  They were unsure of what to do themselves until the pup looked back up at them with an empty bowl. "N-now what?"

"Well, if you're done, I guess we should start packing up your stuff so it's ready when your owner gets here," the Dalmatian suggested. With a grim expression, the Border Collie stood up, almost immediately getting ready to jump down until her name was called.

"Hold on, Audrey. C'mere, give us a hug before you leave," the Cockapoo requested. Audrey grinned and gladly walked across the bouncy surface, quickly getting to their side and wrapping her front legs around the two. There was no challenge in letting herself melt into their differently shaded brown coats of fur, it was comforting until she eventually pulled away.

"We're gonna miss you. Try and stay out of trouble, alright?" Chase ruffled his paw against her head while she nuzzled both of them, seeming surprisingly upbeat for this being the closest thing to a final goodbye she'd be getting. Little did she know how much she was paining her caretakers, showing them how many bonds were about to break away, and not just their own.

"A-alwight, I'll twy. I'll say bye befowe I leave." With her promise already made, she leaped off of the couch and stood below her guardians, waiting for them to join her. They flashed small smiles at the other two, silently thanking them for handling the situation as best they could. The other couple nodded and went back to whatever it was they were doing before, likely just watching the TV.

"Let's go get your stuff, Princess, you'll get to say bye to everyone before you leave, I promise," the Dally instructed. The pup nodded and slowly trotted back to the elevator, pressing the button to send them down once all three of them were inside. They could see the frown making its way back onto her face as they arrived at their house, with her opening the door and giving them entrance.

But before stepping inside, she carefully looked around the wooden walls, taking in each and every memory she had built here. This had been her home, filled to the brim with all of her belongings that were about to be stripped away. Regardless of whether or not she walked back in here, without any of her personal items, this would be her final time walking into this small red house and being able to call it home.

Hesitantly, she set her paws against the floor, her head lowering as she tried to think about anything else. If anything, telling herself not to think about it just made it worse. It all came back full circle and forced her to remember the context of the situation. She had already said goodbye to her biological parents, and now she was doing the same to her foster parents, it seemed almost excessively cruel. Was this truly her fate? To never have a home to call her own the way she desperately wanted?

"Here, just put anything you wanna take with you into this box," the husky finally said, scooting a small cardboard box inside with them. Audrey glanced back and nodded, gazing around the room as she tried to focus on searching for whatever she needed to bring with her.

Her bed was an obvious first choice, although she hadn't once used it here, nor did she use it much more at Katie's. It was always more comfortable to snuggle up with whoever was taking care of her at the time, but she wasn't willing to bet on that being the case with her new home. Of course, she kept her scarf with her, that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. A few toys were scattered around the house, including her favorite purple bone.

Almost all of them were tossed inside the box, until she arrived at her rubber bone, pausing as she lifted it up. She tilted her head hesitantly, looking back at her caretakers and the box where the rest of her toys lay. Hoping she wouldn't regret her decision, although she highly doubted she would, she fully turned back to her guardians and stuck out her paw.

"H-here, you two can keep this." The older ones seemed a bit caught off guard, but slowly, the Dalmatian extended one paw. It was a decision made with lots of hesitation, but he didn't dare deny the gift he was being presented with. She immediately plopped the bone down, meekly smiling up at him as she surrendered her toy.

"Are you sure? I appreciate it, but this is your favorite toy," he asked, perfectly willing to let her back out of this if she desired. The pup bit her lip, clearly unsure about it herself. But almost just as quickly, she shook the second-guessing away and nodded.

"Mhm, that way you won't get lonely," she explained confidentially. Oh, how they wished it would be that easy to keep themselves from missing her, but even then, her token of generosity wouldn't go unthought of. The Dally gently placed the bone on the shelf right beside their bed, somewhere he knew they'd easily be able to see it.

"Well, thank you, we'll keep this right here so we can always think of you," he answered, his response seeming to be what the pup wanted to hear. But that didn't feel like enough, a simple thank you for giving up one of her most prized possessions couldn't be all he left her with. This was her gift before they faded away from the others' life, surely more than just mere words were necessary.

Figuring out whatever that extra cherry on top would be was a bit harder said than done, at least, until his eyes fell upon the stuffed penguin on their bed. The one reminder of his own parents, what he used to carry around with him everywhere as a puppy. It was practically the physical embodiment of his childhood. And after a small bit of consideration, he picked it up and gently nuzzled it one last time before looking back down.

"Here, if you're giving us your favorite toy, this one's mine. My Mommy and Daddy gave it to me when I was a pup, a bit younger than you, but I think it's your turn to have it." Audrey's head tilted as the stuffed animal was placed in front of her, even Everest seemed a bit surprised at first but quickly went along with it. He hoped she wouldn't be upset that her gift was being given to someone else, but he had a feeling that she would let him off the hook this time.

"But you said you loved this toy?" she questioned, despite her paws already wrapping around the cotton penguin and hugging it tightly against herself. The visible calmness it seemed to bring her eliminated what few doubts he had left, allowing him to clear her own worries with full genuineness.

"I did, I love that toy very much. But, I love you more, and I want you to have it. Just take good care of her for me, alright?" The pup was hesitant, but gently nuzzled the penguin and set it into the box where it fully disappeared from the male's eyes for the final time. He knew he'd miss it, but now that it was said and done, he had no regrets.

"T-thanks," she muttered quietly, fumbling her paws together in the awkward silence that soon followed. The older two made sure to double-check the room, and as they assumed, all of her belongings had been packed up. She didn't have a whole lot to begin with, leaving them unsure of what was meant to come next. They could always go back up to the lookout and spend time with the others, but at the same time, they enjoyed the one-on-one time they were being given now.

Starting a conversation under these circumstances certainly wasn't the easiest, hardly any new or original thoughts could come to mind. It was more likely that one of them would win the lottery than manage to think of anything other than the looming reality floating over them, waiting for its time to strike.

Audrey's eyes narrowed against the floor, with her paws clenching together as she exhaled deeply. It went unnoticed, shrugged off as her just being nervous, until she firmly planted them against the wood, confidently bringing her head up as the sudden sharpness in her voice easily got attention drawn to her.

"I'm not leaving," she blankly stated, speaking as if this was a decision she was reaching after a long day of hard thinking. Her caretakers weren't even sure if they heard her correctly at first, the seriousness of her tone was almost unheard of. But with how certainly she was staring at them, there were no mistakes to be made.

"Audrey, I-I'm sorry, but that's not how this works. It's not up to you, or us, you have to leave," Everest tried to explain, only for the pup to shake her head in denial. It was beginning to be hard to tell if she was just trying to escape the inevitable or if she genuinely didn't think that answer was good enough, her deadpan expression wasn't much help.

"N-no, I'm not. You said you would be my weal Mommy and Daddy. You pinky pwomised not to leave me. Y-you can't bweak a pinky pwomise." The concern of the older two was growing, now seeing her lip starting to quiver as she stared them down. They could tell that she was dead serious about this, unwilling to let any of this slide.

"We can still be your Mommy and Daddy, just...from a distance. And we aren't really leaving you, we'll still visit you as much as we can," Marshall attempted to reason with her, but just as the husky's response was treated, she only seemed more hurt by it. Her cold eyes squeezed shut before being allowed to open again, her gaze still breaking through them like a hammer against glass.

"You said you loved me," she bitterly retorted, her voice cracking with betrayal. That one comeback was enough to deeply cut into her caretakers, it was as if she had snuck her claw inside their chests and scratched their hearts from the inside. Sympathy now was flooding their faces as they frantically tried to patch up the cracks that were forming, gnawing away at what little time they had left.

"O-of course we do, we love you more than anything. Why would you think that we don't?" he asked, trying to hide the pain welling up in his own voice. Audrey didn't seem any less upset, she didn't appear to want to believe what she was saying either. However, whether she liked it or not, the heat of the moment's emotions had its tight grasp wrapped around her collar.

"I-if you loved me you'd let me stay. I-I can't do this, I'm scawed. C-can't I just have a Mommy and Daddy? I...I just wanna have a home. I want this to be my home!" Her caretakers froze, hearing her pleading cries. Tears had started to fly down her cheeks, with light sobs now echoing out of her mouth and taking over whatever else she might've wanted to say.

The two could only watch as she defeatedly sunk her head down, letting her droplets slide down her cheeks onto the floor below, and her quiet, uncontrollable cries leak from her muzzle. It was too much to hold in anymore, all she had ever wanted was to have a home where she didn't have to be afraid of leaving. With the constant shifts from family to family, it was impossible to know who her real identity truly lay with.

From her biological parents, to Katie's, to here, to wherever her new home would be. So many people that claimed to love her, that fed her and tucked her into bed every night, and yet so many that she had to leave behind in the dust. Her entire life had been out of her control, and every time she finally felt at peace, it was ripped away before she even knew it.

"Come here, Princess." Audrey slowly brought her face up, now seeing the Dalmatian with his front legs spread. With slowly, shaky steps, she walked forward and collapsed into his grasp, and buried herself into his chest. His legs wrapped around her back, holding her as she breathed heavily against his hold.

She had always been a hugger, that was something she never bothered to hide, but the hugs from Marshall couldn't help but feel different. The way he openly embraced her and allowed her to hunker down in the safeness of his warm fur, how he'd always gently rock her back and forth. Even during her darkest hours, she couldn't remember a moment where they didn't bring a small smile to her face.

"I-I'm sowwy, I didn't mean to be angwy. I-I just want a family. I d-don't wanna keep having new ones." Marshall nodded slowly as Everest gently brought her front legs around both of them, bringing the three of them closer to one another. The pup felt his paw gently run against the top of her head, smoothing out her fur.

"You're fine, it's okay to be angry. I'm sure it's hard having to go from family to family, I don't think I would feel any different if I were you. But after today, you're going to have your permanent family, and they are going to love you just like we do. It'll take some getting used to, but you'll have a good home. We wouldn't let you go somewhere if we didn't think you'd be happy," he softly whispered as he continued to stroke her fur.

It still wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but she slowly nodded her head against his chest, finally ridding herself of this need for closure. If this really was the best she'd get, then so be it, at least this would be the last time. It wasn't the family she wanted to stay with, but it was what she needed, a stable home. And if they were truly tied to the chains of only being fosters, no matter how badly all three of them wanted to change that, she had to make do with the hand she was dealt.

"I love you, Daddy, and Mommy. You'll always be my weal pawents." Her caretakers smiled wildly, and Marshall bent down and licked her forehead. She finally glanced up, a somber smile now on her face as she laid her head upright against him.

"We love you too. And you'll always be our real daughter." Audrey nuzzled him, gripping both of her guardians' paws and feeling the warmth of their fur one last time. She knew that this was their real final goodbye, the last moment they'd be able to share with just the three of them. And despite the circumstances, she was okay with this being what they were able to close with.

The three said nothing, only sitting together in the warmth of the others' embrace. It was soothing, although the burning thought of their family breaking apart still lingered in the air. But to put the ongoing silence to an end, a soft knock came from their door, and they all managed to share the worry that followed.

"Come in," Everest called out as the door slowly opened, revealing Ryder on the other side. The three all knew where this was headed, and the boy seemed to be able to tell that they had caught on. It was impossible to not know, after all, his expression could only mean one thing.

All of their hearts had plummeted into the depths of their chest, the dreadful moment that had been lurking in the shadows finally began to run its course. The pup whimpered and dragged herself in between her two caretakers, shutting her eyes as the two haunting words entered her ears.

"They're here."