"That's what it takes, sometimes," Sam agrees. As a councilor in a VA hospital and a vet himself, he would know. You can't help people with their shit unless you have most of your shit together, yourself.

He stops when he hears Sam stumble, and starts moving again, once he's sure the other can keep going.

"It's hard to tell. The trees are dense enough that we could have passed them up, but I haven't heard anything since we started in. Have you?"