"Y-you're gonna tell them, aren't you?" Haley turned around and faced the pup, who seemed all but excited to walk out the door and face the others, which after seeing that she was the type to habitually hide her problems, was far from a shock. So naturally, talking to the others wasn't an event she was looking forward to.

"About your condition? Yeah, I have to. But, don't worry, I won't talk about anything else," she answered, catching the Husky off guard, but not in a disappointing way. For the first time in a while, this outcome seemed to be leaning more in her favor.

"Wait...you're not?" It seemed like a good answer at first, but with her constant doubts once again deciding to push at her, part of her thought this could've just been another lie. Some trick just to get her to feel less anxious, only to have her trust betrayed as all her secrets were poured out with her only helplessly watching, losing the fleeting feeling of control once again.

However, that wouldn't have been anything new, she hadn't been in control for nearly her whole life. Her emotions, her actions, even her family and home. From the beginning of being sold off, to wandering around in the Arctic, scared and lonely. Only now did she have some sort of choice and peace, but that was only on the outside. On the inside, she was still trapped in strings, controlled by the marionette in her mind.

"Nope, not gonna say a single word. That's for you to work towards, and besides, I know you wouldn't want me to do that," the girl answered truthfully, obviously not wanting to leave a bad first impression for a visit. That and she legally wasn't allowed to either.

With that cleared up, and more than usual shaky steps, the Husky slowly made her way back to the lobby, the female human coming in close behind her. Almost instantly, the two were seen, Everest almost being knocked over as her beloved ran to her, tackling her with a hug. Slowly, she hugged back and shut her eyes, waiting in the agony of silence for the news to be broken to the others.

"How'd it go?" Ryder asked, seeing that Marshall was a bit preoccupied at the moment. The girl sighed and looked down at the Husky, who was noticeably shaking as she clutched the Dally for dear life, praying he wouldn't judge her for what he was about to find out. It wasn't like she could argue and deny it either, not with a trained professional with them.

"Well, I know it's not what you wanna hear but...It's safe to say that Everest is suffering from dysthymia, also called persistent depressive disorder."

The Husky had already been aware, being forced to hear this news before leaving the room, but that didn't exactly make the second time better, especially with the one thing she still held dear standing directly in front of her. "I'm sorry," she muttered, still holding her mate close.

"D-don't be sorry, it's okay." Despite his words, just as it seemed she would, the lavender pup suddenly burst out crying, squeezing Marshall as he only sat there, keeping his position. Under any other circumstances, he would've tried to comfort her more verbally, but he himself was on the brink of tears, almost choking on what little he had said.

"Hey, Ryder." The boy slowly turned his head back to the girl, raising an eyebrow as she continued. "We kinda need to talk, probably best to do it in private, don't wanna ruin their little moment," she explained, nodding over to the pups, who clearly had enough on their plates. And she knew the last thing Everest wanted right now was to talk more about her problems.

Without saying a word, he nodded and followed her into a separate room. Even without her psychological knowledge, it would've only taken the look on his face to know something was wrong. But then again, who could really blame him? No one would ever be fond of someone they cared about suffering, especially at this level.

"You alright?" Ryder rubbed his head, shaking it as he did so. Although obviously those close to a patient never exactly took news like this greatly, she could tell before she even said a word it'd be harder on him. One pup was already difficult, two seemed to be a bit unfair.

"It's just...first Marshall and now her? How did none of us notice? A-am I really that bad of an owner?" he asked, still wrapping his mind around the situation as Haley only frowned sympathetically. It seemed no matter the situation, someone was always blaming themselves.

"No, you're not a bad owner, these things happen. And to answer your question, well, have you ever heard of the term smiling depression?" Ryder looked up, confused by the question as he waited for more of an explanation. "Well, it's basically when someone, like Everest, is able to hide their symptoms. As you'd expect, they tend to hide it pretty well, bottling up their feelings and keeping them on the inside. It can be extremely hard to notice, so you guys did nothing wrong here. I think the reason they're popping up now is just a mix of Marshall's own sufferings, her recent encounters with Damian, and losing her leg."

"Oh, I see. Is it as bad as Marshall's?" Haley went silent for a moment, trying to compare the two situations. However, in those few seconds of quiet, a second question suddenly came up. "Am I asking too many questions?"

Naturally, the girl's train of thought was cut off as she, and the one who had spoken in the first place, let out a small laugh. "Nah, you're fine. It's normal to ask questions. But, honestly, Everest's and Marshall's depressions are just so different, but it is safe to say hers is much worse," she explained, Ryder wincing slightly as she answered.

"But his is major, isn't it?" The therapist nodded, confirming the question, understanding his confusion on how her's was worse. Even for her, who had been studying this for years, had that same question back when she was still learning.

"It is, but the thing is, there are other factors. For starters, depression is a very common symptom in PTSD, and since he lost Everest then, that's what pushed him over the edge. However, we managed to catch it early and start working on improvement fairly quickly. Everest on the other hand has had these things built up for years."

"Right...that makes sense." Ryder slowly turned and looked around the corner of the room, silently checking in on the pups, who still hadn't moved an inch. Both not speaking a word, but still expressing care for one another. "You don't think this is gonna be too much for him to handle, do you?"

"It kinda depends. It's not gonna be easy, but I think they'll end up helping each other through it. Honestly, being able to relate on that type of level might be a good thing. But I can't be certain." The boy nodded, his concern for Marshall starting to grow as well, knowing how fragile he was.

"Alright, one more question then I swear I'm done," he stated, laughing lightly. "Is there anything I should do to help her that we aren't already doing for Marshall? Or should we try and handle it the same way?"

"Well, I'll prescribe her some antidepressants, and I do recommend you or him talking to her about coming back for another session. But other than that, just make sure to treat her with extra care and be supportive. Of course, do what you can, but a lot of it is gonna be up to her and probably Marshall too." Ryder sighed, bringing his head up towards his pups, still hearing the Husky's softening cries as she laid in her lover's arms.

"Hey." Although startled by the sudden hand on his shoulder, the boy turned his attention to the source. "She'll be fine, both of them will. They're strong pups, they'll get through it one day."

"I hope so, I really do," he muttered, still getting used to this new reality. "Anyway, I should get them home, neither of them have gotten much sleep, and I can imagine they're probably pretty worn out for the day."

"Oh right, go ahead, they deserve some rest. Let me know if she wants to come back, and I'll get her some meds for you to pick up from...Katie, I think her name was, whoever their vet is." Ryder chuckled and walked out, making his way back to the pups.

"Eve, it's okay, I promise I'm not disappointed." Despite the comforting, or at least the intended to be comforting words, Everest had a hard time calming herself, causing the Dally's shoulder to become noticeably wet.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but we should head home." The Husky wiped her eyes and nodded, leaning on her mate as the two slowly made their way to the exit, still no conversation being brought up.

"Thanks, Haley, we'll see you next week," Ryder praised as he walked outside with his pups, a small wave being returned in his direction. The boy sighed as he jumped into his own vehicle, still confused and slightly guilty from the whole situation. He was clueless as to which direction to start working in, he was only just now fully figuring out how to help Marshall.

The only thing he knew was how much of a task this would be for both of them, obviously wanting to help the other while they themselves were hurting. Nothing about it would be simple, but then again, no good things in life come easy.

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Although the drive couldn't have been more than thirty minutes, this time, they all could have sworn it was over an hour. The existential dread was among all of them, especially one, who was stressing herself out on how everyone else would react. Especially her mate, who although didn't seem upset with her, hadn't exactly conversed about it yet.

Slowly but surely, after the eternity of a drive, the three got home. Marshall helped the Husky down from her snowcat, only for her to look back at the lookout, seeing all her friends playing outside, along with Jake who decided to tag along and meet them at the lookout.

How she yearned to feel that happiness the others were so blessed to enjoy. And only for a moment did she consider that what she had just done was the new beginning of working to that feeling, almost instantly shutting it down as a thought of selfishness and weakness.

"How was it, dude?" Everest immediately felt the nervousness come back as she looked up at the sudden face of her friend in front of her. She was struggling to come to an answer. She didn't exactly want to flat out tell him about her diagnosis, at least not this second. "Hey, are you okay?"

The Husky took a small step back, feeling her breaths get faster by the second as the panic was setting in. She wanted to answer, but her mouth and mind seemed to have other plans for her. Nothing was exactly on the same page.

"Uh, Jake, you mind giving us a minute?" Everest turned her head, seeing the sympathetic look on the Dally's face as he requested the small favor. The boy, obviously, nodded and moved, allowing the two access to their puphouse.

After thanking him, the spotted pup opened the door and beckoned for her to follow, which naturally she did. Nearly the second she made it in and heard the soft click of the door closing, she sat down and rested her paws on her head, something she tended to do when getting too stressed out, but even that was a challenge when she could feel the rest of her body wanting to give out and fall over.

"I-I can't do this," she muttered, unsure herself if that was directed to her or Marshall. The Dally brought himself down and scooted close beside her, resting his arm around her as she got pulled to him like a magnet.

"It's fine, you don't have to tell them now. You've had a long day, you wanna just rest for now?" The Husky, although partially feeling bad that now she'd be taking up the valuable time he could be spending outside with the others instead of trapped here with her, nodded, laying down in the process.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to, you know. I promise I'll be safe here, go have some fun—"

"No, I'm not leaving you. I-I don't wanna be alone again...." Everest sighed and frowned, getting the small, unintentional reminder. Even if she wasn't her best, her mate still needed the care and attention she had pledged herself to give all those months ago. Part of her was amazed by how long ago that was, it almost seemed like yesterday when she had reunited with Marshall on his birthday.

"Oh, no, no Marshy it's fine. You can stay, sorry," she apologized as the Dally laid beside her, resting in between her head and the floor.

"You don't need to be sorry, it's fine." The Husky decided it wasn't worth arguing, so she finally allowed herself to rest, feeling the warmth of her love on her chin. Although a certain look on his face—and tail position—was something she quickly caught wind of.

"Hey, what's wrong? Don't worry, it's fine, we're safe here." The Dally huffed and squinted his eyes, as if holding back tears. Naturally, that didn't help her concern. Worried that he was experiencing another flashback or panic attack, she nuzzled him for comfort.

"I-I know, It's just...I don't wanna see you go through this. I know it hurts. I-I don't get it, you didn't do anything, why is this happening?" He exclaimed, even if he didn't like thinking about it, knowing he knew better than most what she was feeling.

"I wish I knew...I ask myself about the same thing for you nearly every day. But hey, it's fine, I know you'll get through this." Marshall heard the hurt in her voice, moved around, and got himself in a more comforting position, resting his paws on her own as the two looked dead into the other's eyes.

"You will too." The Husky, although partially realizing she had walked into this and should've seen that response coming, frowned and turned away. It wasn't that she doubted him, well, she did, but that wasn't her reasoning. It's what actually trying to get better would cost them, but more specifically him.

"Marshy, I need you to promise me something," she demanded, the Dalmation tilting his head in curiosity, ready to either agree or another, more difficult type of situation. "Listen...just, promise me you won't try to put me first. I know you're gonna want to help, but you have to worry about yourself first, even if it means letting me deal with it alone."

She knew that despite her trying to help him, he would almost certainly deny her request. And just as she expected, he immediately shook his head. "Eve, no, you don't have to do this alone. I wanna help, you can't push me away forever."

"But it could hurt you. Please, I'm serious, you can't waste your energy on me." Marshall raised an eyebrow, mainly filling with concern as he studied her, taking into account her will to throw herself away just to help him, not even giving it a second thought. It really managed to get the gears in his head turning. How many times had she done this without him noticing?

"It's not a waste of energy, it's 'cause I care about you. So you'll just have to be stuck with me forever," he proudly proclaimed, teasingly smiling as he set his head back down. "But, if it makes you feel any better, I will promise to take care of myself as well."

Everest finally exhaled deeply and nodded, satisfied enough with her answer. Seeing the grin on his face, she decided it wouldn't hurt to add on, laying her own head on the ground and scooting closer, causing both of their noses to touch lightly. The Dally smiled, obviously holding back laughter, and admittedly, part of her could say the same, feeling her cheeks slowly heat up as she melted into the sky blue eyes in front of her.

"You're cute when you're blushing." Immediately, the Husky pulled herself back to reality, getting herself out of her own trance.

"Oh hush, you can't be talking," she shot back, turning herself away in an act of pout. Or, perhaps it was just to hide the ever so increasing redness spreading on her face.

"Right, sure." Everest turned, trying to seem annoyed by the sarcasm, but as she should've known, she found it nearly impossible to even get slightly mad at him. Sighing in defeat, she licked him and huddled closer, yawning in the process. It may have only been around four in the afternoon, but she had been up far longer than she should've, getting no rest since passing out in the snow.

"Y-yeah, yeah....T-thanks, Marshy," she muttered, trying her hardest to not give in to the temptation to shut her eyes and drift off into the sweet land of dreams.

"For what?" The Dally suddenly felt the Husky putting her weight on, getting across the message her body was putting out. Not exactly against the idea of taking a nap as he himself hadn't got much rest either, the two cuddled into a ball, one head resting on the other's back.

"For everything. Y-you've always been the family I never had..." Marshall smiled, thinking about that one word that stuck in his mind. Family. Sure, Ryder and the others held that position as well, but not in the way she did. She was his saving grace, and he knew the same would probably apply the other way around. They were the one hope they both could hold onto forever.

"You don't need to thank me, like you said, we're a family," he softly whispered, nuzzling her as her eyes finally began to close. "Now get some sleep, you need it." And before he could even close his mouth, the Husky was completely wiped out on his back, finally getting her share of rest. One of the few times where she could fully be at peace.

Knowing he wasn't about to leave her, he decided to close his eyes as well, trying to not get too into his head. But, without her awake as a distraction, one thought seemed to repeat on a broken record. One that had been shouting at him for the whole day, only getting louder after hearing about her diagnosis.

You don't deserve to be her family. You could've prevented all of this if you had just noticed and helped sooner. This is your fault.