There'd been an effort made to bite it back, shush it before it slipped through her teeth, but the sound spilled out in a whine of discomfort that had been enough to cut Setsu's sentence short. Cowering slightly at the other's look, the rebuke she'd expected was traded for something worse as raw panic shouldered its way into her companion's gaze, and she felt an answering quiver down her spine. It was clear that she'd done an ill, somehow, and her own focus darted upward, nervously watching to see if she'd called some yeti-thing from its hibernation early. She saw the flurries shift, lithe muscle going taut beneath her clothes, eyes narrowed against the brightness. Then she heard a whisper directly overhead, and comprehension came with no time. A pointless motion to evade guided her sideways, clumsily backpedaling as the snow tumbled down in a rash of white tendrils. Some of it slithered across her jacket, her back and legs spared the bitterest of the touch, but she flinched from the icy kisses that flecked her face and ears, crystals catching and hanging in her hair. Eve shivered violently, shaking them off before everything started to ache, and the droplets that remained felt like lead weights where they clung to her feet. Bad, bad, very bad. She wasn't supposed to let herself get so cold, not without a safe place to warm up again.

The kitsusagi opened her mouth to say she'd wait down below, that the snow hurt and she didn't want to play higher up. But then she heard something clatter over the stone face on which they perched, an echo of it traveling through the rock to where she stood. Setsu. The other female hadn't shaken off the snow that latched onto her, unmelting and blank as the open eyes that regarded her. Instead, she had sprawled out, her limbs at awkward angles, rigid and still. The girl stepped closer, confusion pinching her features while her tongue darted out to test the breeze. "S-Setsuuu?" She tried hopefully, quietly, hunching down further in her jacket when there was no response. Why wasn't she talking back? Hesitantly, she lowered her muzzle toward the frozen countenance, gently nudging underneath a chin. Nothing, and the other was possibly colder than she was, the contact stinging her nostrils. Eve resisted a whimper, extending her tongue again and licking the other's cheek, urging her to rise with a stuttered name. Dread was beginning to take hold, and she carefully danced around the mountain climber on the limited space she had, prodding and coaxing, completely at a loss.

The purple-tailed female's assurances that she wasn't unwell came back to her, even though it was a doctor she sought. Setsu had pointed out the caves to her, roughly round openings in the mountainside from where they sat now, numbered plenty and black as spider eyes. Maybe the doctor dwelled in one of them, and would help with whatever had downed Setsu once she found him. But the breath that was starting to fog from her did not have a twin, and she was getting too cold, numbness spreading. They needed to get to shelter first, or at least as far away from the snow as possible. Without another thought, Eve seized a mouthful of the fur that lined the capricorn's jacket, tugging bodily and almost falling off the rock when it obediently ripped free. Spitting the tufts out, she at last found purchase by biting a little lower, jaws clenched and teeth splitting material as she hauled inch by unsteady inch. The only reason the slack weight even moved had more to do with the slope than any strength the smaller halfling possessed. Still, it was no easy task, the elder kitsusagi weighing a few pounds more than she did, the difference making her stop for frequent breaks. At least the work warmed her slightly, though it threatened to yank her fangs out and leave them implanted in the tough fibers of the other's coat. There seemed no painless method to reintroduce her to the ground, so Eve had to opt for shoving her carefully over the edge, trying to soften the blow by holding on as long as she could.

By the time they were both on the flat earth again, the sun was setting, and her mouth was bloodied where frayed fabric and pressure had split sensitive flesh, breath coming out in ragged heaves. Miserable and wane, she examined her fallen comrade for changes, reaching out to wipe the slush from her face as an afterthought. She was still chilled, and extra layers didn't do much if there was no heat inside to trap. Eve settled down beside her, tucking armor-sprawled tails amongst their violet cousins and shuddering to keep awake. The teen didn't have much warmth to offer - sluggishness at the periphery of her body now that the task was done - but she was still better off than Setsu seemed to be, and she continued to study the other with an air of tired anxiety.