Whitefish River happy to be home

He follows Evergreen at a slow pace, mostly to keep him going slow. While his mate still isn't over the move, Winterbourne still isn't over how he'd managed to break his toes and rip off a nail on his first outing since his injury. He's starting to think the world itself is against his lover, and that thought does nothing to quell his protective urges. He hasn't told Evergreen yet, but tagging along wherever he goes is starting to sound like a good idea; perhaps a little suffocating for both of them, but safe.
Be careful, He advises softly, eyeing a particularly large and jagged rock nestled a patch of melting snow. It occurs to him belatedly that it could come off as condescending, though he hadn't meant it that way. He just worries. Sorry — I'm sure you already are.

He smiles too, relieved, and has to try to bite back laughter when Evergreen marks the rock — he fails, of course. He's silent for a few moments before he speaks again, letting their patrol pass in silence for a bit. It's nice to be back, He murmurs after awhile, nudging Evergreen gently.

Evergreen's inspection of the area prompts his own, though he's much less thorough. He trusts his mate's judgment, and he's honestly more curious than anything. But nothing looks out of place to him. I know, He says softly, cheeks heating under the kiss. I did too. This was the first real home I had since... Since he ran away from his birth home. He trails off, suddenly lost in memories.

He's mentioned this to Evergreen before, but only in the vaguest terms, leaving out many of the details of what had led up to his departure from his first home. He sucks in a sharp breath at the question; his first reaction is to think that he doesn't want to. He can't. Revisiting it would be too painful. But then it comes spilling out.
Yeah. I — the pack I was born in was called Morningside. My dad was the leader. He died when I was really young, like I told you, and... then everything fell apart. My uh, my mom took it hard. My sister did too. I spent a lot of time trying to make them happy again... but then I gave up, and I started... leaving instead, He swallows. That was when I lost my tail, and my voice got messed up. Some woman um, attacked me. I don't remember why. And then there was a fire and I... I got sick of everything. The only one who had time for me in a pack full of my family was a new guy, the um, medic. It was just one disaster after another, and I felt alone. So when I was able to, I left. And I never felt at home again until you took me in.

Yeah, I guess so. We never spent much time together. We're only related through our dad, and when he died... That connection was severed, at least in his mind. It seemed that way at the time. I know our family won't be like that though. Ours will be better. He leans in to press a kiss to his cheek. It already is.