Morningside Cuesta flashlight

Backdated to around April 4th-5th! Quick thread hopefully? Down for a spree if y'all are. Otherwise will be 3-day skip rule to keep this going. Private for @Zephyr & @Whittaker

Restless paws take him northbound—the lowering temperature and differing terrain would likely appeal to Zephyr, who seemed to already grow eager by the sight of snow. For now he’d left, snaking upwards from the river that his silver unknowingly found a comrade at though remained close enough that a call could be heard.
One such howl comes a beat later—impatient, demanding, perhaps a lingering worry, too, underneath the icey tone of the wraith. A smirk curves brief across the dragon’s lips, before he pauses in his travels and lifts his muzzle to howl back, revealing his location. To assist with their meeting, he trails towards the direction.

try as he might, the cold bites through his coat and settles in his bones. it doesn't seem like it'll want to leave anytime soon. grudgingly, sullenly, he hugs himself, imagining a ball of white healing warmth right under his ribs.
there's nothing else to focus on other than putting his feet in front of him, so he's relieved when a call rings in his ears. meeting time, it says, but whittaker hears it more like sitting down and resting time. man. whittaker was really paying for a lifetime of eating like shit and sleeping like shit.
he looks expectantly up to the grey-haired cagey boy before sitting down with a thump that in retrospect was a stupid idea, given how there was nothing to cushion him between the cold hard ground and his tailbone. classic whittaker.

He doesn't really consider whether Whittaker might be tired or cold, in his excitement to show off the new recruit to his mate. He sets the pace at a carelessly harsh speed, oblivious if his companion trails behind at all. His own mood is bright, a child eager to show off a shiny new toy to his parents, and that's all that matters to him. When he thinks the trail is fresh enough, he stops to howl, still oblivious to anything outside himself. He does notice when Whittaker flops to the ground, however. His steps halt abruptly, a little annoyed — but Kratos's answering call distracts him. I'll be right back, He says, deciding to take the opportunity to have a few private words with Kratos before he introduces the two.

Near enough it does not take him long to find the ice wraith and the flagged boy near passed out in the background. He approaches neutrally, striding towards Zephyr and pressing his muzzle to his mate’s cheek before he pulls back with the arch of an eyebrow—a silent question to what all this is.