Duskfire Glacier Autumn was soft

Oh wow, she sure was cute when her ears did that thing. Veteran's heart squeezed. 

"You can show me all of it?" 

Could he ever! A thousand times, yes!

"Hmm.. I guess you could join my patrol," Veteran allowed, faking some hesitation in an attempt to be cool and coy. He shot her a brief glimpse of his winningest smile. 

"Samani," he echoed, as if he were just learning her name for the very first time. In reality, he had asked it of someone the moment he laid eyes on her in the Moonglow camp. "I'm Veteran," he returned. "C'mon! My favorite part of the patrol is up that way." He nodded toward the spot where the glacier ended, and the patrol path turned south. 

Walking and talking would be easier-- he'd have somewhere to look, something to focus on that wouldn't make his tongue feel all dry. Once they were on their way, he asked, "What's your home like? The Or-burrows Spine?" He butchered the name not of his own fault, but because his mother was the one who had described it to him, and she had no memory for names. It was one of her most annoying qualities, in Veteran's opinion.