Whitefish River happy to be home

Woo! Welcome home, KO! Patrol/scent marking thread if anyone’s interested
Edit bc I already forgot about Eve's broken toes, whoops! AW after WB posts to babysit

Being back at Whitefish River is an excitement the bearish male will never get over with, at least not for the next few months. There is a lot going on that they have to prepare for, however. After talking with Winterbourne and smelling the heat scents recently, Eve wants to make sure their borders are further secure. The pack just moved within the last month, so it wouldn’t be surprising if others tried their luck with trespassing! Eve sets off along the border between the River and Plains early that morning with @Winterbourne.

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.

Winterbourne would make a fine parent; the thought occurred for his mate is protective and much too doting for his own good. Naggingly so, yet he means well and Eve could not be annoyed with him for caring. He appreciates his company whenever, and always.
It’s okay, I know you care, he says good-naturedly, with a grin. Their patrol continues, and he dodges the rock his mate is so concerned with. Instead, choosing to pause and mark it—just to show it who’s boss.

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.

Rock shown who’s boss and Winterbourne laughing, Evergreen is in a good mood. Kaistleoki is back on track as if the disaster had never happened in the first place. Of course, it’s left its mark, but they survived it. The bear chuckles at the nudge, giving him a quick shoulder-shove and a kiss as they continue along the borders. Eve makes sure to check the surrounding area for anything out of place. Yeah… I… missed it here.

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.

So far, so good. He doesn’t see anything out of place either, and the only scents he catches are those belonging to the pack members. All great signs that they are able to make their borders known. His attention thus shifts to his mate. Do… you want to talk about it? He asks quietly with a soft tilt of his head.

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.

It is rare that Winterbourne talks in large bursts as he does here; his raspy voice growing hoarse the longer he speaks—harder to understand, but Evergreen keeps keen ears on him, keen to learn much as he can with what his mate shares. Some of the details he knows, others are new.
Is… is that why Dawn acted the way she did? He asks quietly, uncertain if it is right to trace back to those times but it has bothered him ever since. They both seemed to have known how the other would react, but Evergreen found it odd that their desires had been distant at best despite being family.
Kaistleoki won’t be like that, he promises softly, knowing it has already been spoken before and proven, too, with how close Evergreen has tried to keep everyone and how close these two became. And, with flushed cheeks he adds; Our… our family won’t be like that either.

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.

He turns his gaze ahead, nodding his head—death is a monster that affects so many, and where it had brought Evergreen close to others, it had done the opposite for Winterbourne. A smile, however, soon reappears on his lips, content and calm—happy that his mate has found peace here.
Yeah, exactly. Except he grows swiftly embarrassed with the kiss to his cheek and the compliment. His smile turns sheepish and shy, but his happiness remains obvious. The two of them continue the patrol, until eventually they end up back at the den so Evergreen could rest his paw.