"I can't believe you dragged me into this..." Charlotte muttered in a nervous tone, looking around the abandoned cavern her and Amber had just entered with a wary gaze.

"Oh come on, it isn't that bad! We can just explore this area and be back with the group before they even know we're gone! Besides, you did say you liked adventure~" Amber retorted in a bright and cheery tone.

"Yeah, safe adventuring where I can be fully prepared for what I might encounter. Spontaneous adventuring is more my oldest sister's thing." Charlotte responded with a slight sigh. She really didn't know why she had let Amber talk her into exploring the cave their group they had been with for an assignment had passed by, be it some sort of puppy-like infatuation with the girl--ironic seeing as how Amber herself was a dog shifter-- or just wanting to be near her, but now she was highly regretting it as it had begun to snow heavily almost as soon as they had stepped into the cave.

"Amber, I really think we should get out of here before the snow piles up too much... I don't want to get stuck in here, especially since we don't really have any supplies on us." Charlotte spoke, warily eyeing the quickly piling snow.

"Oh, don't be such a worrywart! We'll be out in a few minutes! I just wanna see what's down this tunnel real quick! C'mon!" Amber cheerily responded, gently grabbing a hold of Charlotte's wrist and practically dragging her along down the tunnel.

Charlotte blushed slightly at the contact and quickly followed behind Amber. She always had a difficult time saying no to people, especially with Amber. It wasn't so much that Amber made it difficult to say no, she always backed off when Charlotte said it, it was just that Charlotte was just too nervous about losing the friendship that she just went along with what Amber wanted in order to make her happy. This garnered some teasing from her siblings about being a lovesick little puppy, but she didn't mind. It wasn't like Amber was on her thoughts all day every day, only when she was trying to sleep or daydreaming. Still despite that, she couldn't like Amber. She'd always liked boys, so she couldn't like a girl... right?

Shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts, Charlotte continued to follow after Amber, journeying deeper and deeper into the cave. Soon enough, she couldn't even tell which way was the way back. She shivered slightly, the chill in the cave starting to get to her. She wrapped her wings around herself a bit to try and conserve some warmth.

"Amber, maybe we should head back... I'm starting to get a bit cold and I didn't bring any blankets or anything..." Charlotte suggested softly, continuing to warily scan the area they were in. Amber fortunately nodded in agreement with what Charlotte suggested.

"Yeah, we've been away from the group for a while. They're probably wondering where we are by now. And I could go for a hot chocolate. Let's go." Amber responded, quickly leading Charlotte back to where they had entered, only to discover the entrance was now blocked off by a large pile of snow. Both girls cursed under their breaths.

"Dammit, how are we going to get back now? We don't have any way to contact the group and they don't have any clue where we are..." Charlotte muttered, her shivering increasing slightly.

The plush-like pair of dog ears on Amber's head drooped slightly and a guilty look overtook her face. "I-I'm sorry, Charlotte... I shouldn't have dragged you into this..." she spoke softly, tears starting to fill her eyes.

"It's not you're fault... I was the one who agreed to come along. It wasn't like you forced me into exploring the cave with you. I just wish it wasn't so cold in here... my powers are already weak enough without the cold dampening them..." Charlotte responded with a sigh, her shivering becoming heavier and all the more noticeable by this point. She was really regretting not bringing an extra jacket or scarf to bundle up with.

Amber quickly shed her own jacket, wrapping it around Charlotte before she could protest. "Here, you need this more than me." she said with a soft smile.

Charlotte blushed deeply, attempting to give the jacket back. "No, this is yours... I don't want you being cold either..." she responded, her voice little more than a squeak.

Amber let out a soft laugh. "I've lived in Krita before, remember? I've dealt with much colder weather than this... and besides, I'm also a German Shepherd shifter. We're built for the cold. You don't need to worry about me freezing when you obviously need more warmth than me." Amber responded in an assuring manner. "Though, if you really insist, we could huddle together to conserve warmth between us. That might warm you up a little more, too."

Her blush deepening slightly and shrugging the jacket back on, Charlotte nodded in agreement with the suggestion. "Th-that sounds like a good idea..." she murmured, getting a bit closer to Amber. Amber took the moment to snuggle right up to Charlotte. Apparently she wasn't shy about physical contact.

Upon seeing Charlotte's nervous expression and face now as red as her hair, Amber stepped away a little. "O-oh, sorry! I didn't realize I was making you uncomfortable! I just figured the closer we were, the warmer we would be!" she spoke in a rush, a slight blush coming across her freckled face.

"N-no, it's alright. I just wasn't expecting you to get so close." Charlotte hurriedly assured her, her voice practically a squeak. Amber mutely nodded in response, that blush still on her face as she cuddled back up to Charlotte, the two falling into an awkward silence.

After a long while, Charlotte spoke up. "I wonder if the group noticed we're gone by now..."

"What do you mean? I'm sure they would've noticed both of us were missing... we've been gone for about an hour... I think. They're probably searching for us now. They'll find us in no time!" Amber responded in her most assuring voice, obviously trying to keep a positive outlook on things.

Charlotte let out a soft sigh. "They've probably noticed you're gone, at least... they probably aren't even aware that I was in the group... after all, I'm just this shy and awkward mess of a person who isn't even a full shifter..." she began in a bitter tone, only to be cut off by Amber gently placing a hand on her cheek and turning her head to face her.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. You may be kinda awkward, but we all are. And just because you aren't a full shifter doesn't mean you aren't great or noticeable. I mean, you're super sweet and adorable, so you have that going for you." she spoke in a soft tone.

A deep blush painted Charlotte's cheeks in response to what Amber had said. "A-adorable...?" she squeaked, her face turning as red as her hair yet again.

A dark blush painted Amber's face upon realizing what had just happened and she quickly buried her face in her hands, obviously flustered at the moment. "I'm so sorry, that just slipped out! Gods, I'm so embarrassed..." she squeaked.

"I-it's alright... I just... I-I've never been called adorable by anyone other than my family members, so the fact you called me that just kinda... surprised me..." Charlotte admitted, her blush deepening even more.

Amber's eyes widened slightly. "How could people not think you're adorable? I mean just look at you! I... I mean, if you're willing, I would love to take you out and show you off... it'd be nice to have such a cute girl by my side..." she admitted, her blush deepening a bit.

Charlotte glanced away. "I-I don't know... I-I mean, I've never really thought of going out with a girl... I've really only thought of going out with guys..." she said sheepishly, causing a bit of a dejected look to cross Amber's face. "B-but, I-I mean, I guess I could try going out with you... I... I-I've honestly been kinda thinking about you a lot, but I just... I don't really know what to feel... maybe... maybe a date could help me sort that out..." Charlotte quickly added, her blush deepening even more.

Amber blushed deeply in response, though a huge grin also crossed her face. "Awesome! So, uh, maybe we could figure something out for this weekend? I mean, we've probably still got a bit of time before we can get out of here..." she suggested, a soft laugh escaping her as she said the last part.

Charlotte smiled slightly and nodded in response to the suggestion. "This weekend sounds great. Maybe we could go get some coffee at that shop near the school? I've always wanted to try it out, but haven't gotten the chance to."

A surprised look overtook Amber's face. "You've never been to that place? It's awesome! I go there all the time!"

"I just didn't want to go since it just seemed like such a... couple-y place, if that makes any sense. I didn't want to seem like the weird single girl who went by herself to a place that couples frequented." Charlotte admitted in a sheepish tone.

Amber let out a soft laugh. "Gods, you're just so cute. Well, I'd be happy to take ya there. So, drop by your dorm at nine on Saturday morning if we get outta here?"

A bright smile crossed Charlotte's face in response. "That sounds great. Hopefully someone finds us soon so we can go." she responded, quite excited about this.

It seemed just talking about someone coming to get them out summoned them as only a few moments after mentioning this, someone broke through the snow blocking the cave's entrance, with Delphi's face appearing a few moments later.

"I called it! Guys, they're in here!" Delphi called out with a grin, soon being joined by the rest of the group that was with Charlotte and Amber.

A little while later, the group was back at the school, with Charlotte and Amber heading to their respective dorms for the night. As she headed to her dorm, Amber called out "I'll see ya Saturday, cutie!"

Charlotte didn't sleep a wink that night.