Whitefish River and here we go, life's waiting to begin

At some point, he starts to detach himself from the situation. He hears what's being said, but it doesn't seem to register; like he's not really there, instead watching from a distance as this strange, sad scene that he isn't quite part of unfolds. And then, just like that, it's over and Evergreen is turning to him with tear-filled eyes. He knows he should feel something other than numb. He doesn't.
But he moves forward anyway as his mate breaks, driven by the unshakable urge to comfort and protect the one he loves the most. He can't protect him from this, he can't even protect himself from this though he'd only been on the sidelines, but he can be here. He presses his nose to Evergreen's cheek, then leans in to press his muzzle alongside his neck, encouraging him to return the embrace. It's the best he can do right now, faced with the reality that maybe this was never going to work; maybe it was wrong to try.