Despite most nights where the pups would all sleep by themselves in their own houses, aside from the couples of course, tonight they all mutually agreed to have a small change to that rule. Well, it was mainly Everest and Ryder's idea, but everyone else was up for it as well, even though their leader decided to opt out and let his pups enjoy themselves.

The plan was simple. They all decided to have a bit of a sleepover in the top of the lookout. Nothing major, just a fun night with all of them hanging out as a family. The night's main goal was just to help lift Marshall's mood, seeing as the last time they tried to do that with a vacation, well, didn't necessarily go as they had wanted.

At least, that was what Ryder told the Husky when he brought up the idea. It's not like it was a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth. It was partially for her as well. The boy had noticed her behavior over the last few days, she seemed to be more worrisome and just overall down. He assumed it was due to her leg, or maybe her concerns over Marshall, but either way, he wanted to help her relax a bit as well.

"Alright, I think we got everything set up," Chase remarked as he and most of the other pups laid down on their beanbags. Not even a second after doing so, he immediately felt a weight on his back, which he knew the source of. Everyone else giggled slightly as Skye laid her head down on his.

"Jeez, you two, get a woom," Zuma playfully commented. The others laughed at his joke, only to watch as a pillow flew across the room, smacking him in the face.

"Shush. And you're just jealous 'cause you don't have a mate," the Cockapoo retorted. Even Chase couldn't help but crack up at her comeback as he felt her return to her previous position.

"Whatevew, dudette. Anyway, what awe we gonna do fiwst?" The others looked at each other, not having a clear answer. However, everyone seemed to quickly notice a set of heads missing. "Wait, whewe's—"

"We're here!" The pups turned their heads to see the couple walking into the room. Everest laid down in the circle the others had made, and Marshall did the same. The others quickly noticed he seemed shaky and nervous, more so than he usually was. The Husky noticed and nuzzled him, scooting herself closer in the process.

"Don't worry, it's fine, Marshy. We're safe," she whispered sweetly. The Dally only nodded and leaned on her. The problem with what she had said was that she herself had trouble believing it, that she was truly safe next to him, and the situation in their puphouse a few days ago didn't exactly help.

"Sorry we're late, we had a bit of a..." She looked over at Marshall and frowned slightly before bringing her attention to the others. "You know, incident."

The others nodded understandingly, assuming she meant the Dally had experienced another flashback or something of the sort. No one wanted to bring it up, for obvious reasons.

"Don't worry, it's fine. What do you guys wanna do first?" Chase asked. Everyone looked amongst themselves, waiting for someone to answer. Suddenly, Rocky jumped up from his beanbag and ran outside, leaving everyone confused.

"Where's he going?" No one seemed to have a clear response. However, before anyone could question it anymore, the mix returned, holding a glass bottle in his mouth. He set it carefully on the ground and everyone but Everest laughed, already seeing where this was heading.

"We haven't played truth or dare in a while, have we?" He asked, getting shakes of the heads from most of the others.

"Wait hang on, what's that?" Everest questioned with a tilted head, looking at the others in confusion.

"Oh, we usually use a bottle, Eve," Marshall explained, seeming happier tonight than usual, which was a great sign for everyone. The medicine he was given seemed to be finally running its course. It was clear to them all that he was slowly getting better, every day he seemed more and more like his old self. "We use it so we don't have to bother with the choosing and—"

"No, I mean, what's truth or dare? I've literally never heard of it. Is it something you guys made up?" Everyone else looked at each other in surprise. They all assumed that by this point in life, full-grown dogs, that game was common knowledge.

"How have you never heard of it?" Skye asked. Marshall, who was really the only one who had been fully told about her abused past, wrapped his arm around the Husky. He wasn't exactly sure how she felt about it, but from his experience, he despised the past.

"I-it's personal, alright? I'd kinda rather not get into it," she answered, almost seeming afraid at the question. The Cockapoo noticed, but now instead of being confused, she was starting to feel concerned for her friend.

" I mean, that's fine, but what's wrong? You seem kinda...off." The Husky immediately began internally panicking, but just as quickly calmed herself down. If she had been able to hide all this for years, she could do it again, couldn't she?

"Nah, I'm good, I-I just don't wanna talk about it." Marshall had been studying her this whole time, so he nuzzled her for comfort. Despite what she had said, something told him there was more going on with her.

"Eve, you can tell us. Talking about it might help. I mean, it helped me with Haley," he urged, wanting her to get out whatever issues were obviously bugging her.

Everest thought about it for just a second before shaking the idea out of her head. She knew what would happen if she told him what was actually wrong. He would want to help her, and she didn't want that. She wanted him to focus on himself, not be stressed about her health instead of his own. Plus, she knew from experience how confessing feelings like these could end, and it was something she was aware she couldn't hear again.

Tell him. He loves me, right?. He won't react the way he did. A small part of herself thought. That was yet another idea she forced out of her head. Instead, she had another way out of this mess.

"I'm fine, really. But...I-I'll be right back. I promise I'll only be a few minutes." She stood up and turned to walk away, only to notice the Dally getting up with her. "Marshy, I'm sorry, but I just need to be alone for a minute. I won't be gone long, don't worry."

Without waiting for him to protest, she silently walked away and went down the elevator. The others silently watched, confused and worried by the whole situation.

"Marshall, do you know what's wrong?" Chase asked. The Dally only stood still, his eyes locked onto where the elevator would be. If he was being fully honest, he felt a bit scared for the Husky.

"I-I don't. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with her leg. I'll go check on her though," he answered, not even looking back at him.

"Alright, yeah you should do that. Something is definitely bothering her. We'll wait to start the game, you talk to her." Marshall nodded and followed the same path the Husky did, heading down to the lawn where their puphouses were.

He walked over to his house, assuming that's where she was. "Eve?" He whispered as he opened the door. He looked inside, only to not see a trace of Everest. Although a bit confused at first, he realized she might've been in her own puphouse.

Before he even got the chance to fully get there, he heard a small, quiet sound that confirmed his suspicion. He could hear crying, but that was becoming an understatement as he got closer. She was sobbing violently, which only spiked his worries.

"Eve, it's me." The Dally opened the door, and almost immediately, Everest batted something under a cabinet so he couldn't see the object. He didn't pay much attention to that, and instead, looked at her carefully, taking in her physical appearance.

Tears were still streaming down her face, hitting the ground below her. She was clutching her paw as if it was in pain, while the rest of her body was shaking from her overflowing emotions. Her breathing was heavy, caused by how much she was crying, or possibly the tiredness from her missing limb.

"What the...w-what's wrong?" He asked, walking closer to her. Without any sudden warning, the Husky fell into his arms and continued weeping into his fur. Marshall didn't exactly understand why she was like this, but regardless, it didn't stop him from comforting her.

"Hey, it's ok, don't cry," he cooed, beginning to feel like crying himself from seeing her in this condition. Everest never responded so the Dally began to slowly run his paw down her back, hoping maybe that would soothe her just as it always did for him.

"I-I'm so sorry, Marshy. It's...j-just s-so hard," she finally cried out, hugging him even tighter. However, even then, fear was spreading in her mind. Only once had she managed to muster up the courage to tell someone she thought loved her about these feelings, and the answer she got was still one that floated around in her head at times, urging her to do just as she was told to back then.

"What do you have to be sorry for? A-and what's hard?" The Husky was conflicted on how to respond. Part of her wanted to let him help, but the other side, the one that seemed to always take control of her mind, always had other plans. "I-I just don't understand..."

"And I don't want you to, for your own good," she whispered, too quiet for him to even hear. She wanted to say more, to let him fully understand her pain, but her guilty conscience refused. He has enough on his plate, if I tell him, I'll just make it harder on him. I've kept this to myself for years, just keep it that way.

"Eve, please, tell me what's wrong. What can I do to help?" Marshall urged, longing for a response. Everest had to hold so many answers back from him. She wanted nothing more than to talk to him, tell him her deepest feelings she tried so hard to hide. To tell him how scared she was. To tell him how much it hurt to keep these things to herself, letting them boil up inside her with no real way of getting them out. The list could go on and on, but no, the help she so desperately needed still felt out of reach.

All she could do was continue doing what she had done for years. Hide behind her fake facade of happiness, let the others think she was fine, and keep the pain in until she was alone. Crying herself to sleep while everyone else stood by and only saw her as the outgoing, joyfully Husky that she pretended to be.

"T-there's nothing to help. I-I'm just not in the best mood tonight, that's all," she answered as softly as she could, putting on the usual lie of a smile that always seemed to fool the others. Unfortunately for her, the Dally was already on to her.

"That's not true and you know it," he insisted. Everest only sighed and buried her head into his chest, knowing she couldn't afford to tell him the truth.

"I-I'm so sorry, I just can't, it's t-too much." Instead of trying to push any further like she assumed he would, Marshall only sighed and licked her, letting her lay still in his natural warmth. She felt comfortable, but also scared due to how she always felt around him, especially with these feelings she was so scared of telling him about.

"It's ok, I'm not mad. Just please talk to me when you feel ready, ok?" The Husky slowly nodded, still not removing her head. However, she knew it was a lie. She couldn't talk to him, there were just too many ways it could go wrong.

She could be pushed aside as being weak. He could say that he had it worse and that she had no right to feel this way, which admittedly she already thought. Or the option she felt was the most likely, he would start doing what she was doing. Set himself aside and try to help her, regardless of how it affected him. Then of course the one that she was terrified of, and that was being told to do the same thing she was told last time. If Marshall of all people told her to do that, well, she'd probably go through with it this time.

"Do you wanna go back upstairs or do you wanna stay down here longer?" The Dally asked. Everest separated and wiped away a few tears before answering.

"S-sure, we can go up, but don't tell the others about this. I-I just don't want them to worry about it," she requested. Hesitantly, Marshall nodded and accepted.

"If you really don't want me to, I won't. But, Eve, you need to talk to me. I can tell you're upset, so just let me help." The Husky didn't answer immediately and sighed, hating the fact she had to lie to him again.

"Y-yeah, I will, don't worry," she responded, forcing out the words. Of course, I'm not telling him. Who cares if I'm in pain? He is too. So just keep this up and help him get better, that's what matters.

Everest leaned on him as they slowly made their way back to the elevator. She could tell Marshall knew she was upset, but luckily, she was pretty sure she had managed to hide her real problem.

The Dally on the other hand was still worried. He had seen her sad before, but never like this. Something else was bothering her, something he didn't already know, he was sure of it. He knew her better than anyone, he would always notice if she was hurting, right?

However, one thing he failed to notice was the Husky's limp, caused by the paw she herself had cut moments earlier.