An ink spot on a pristine piece of white paper. The form of the babe stood out completely against the freshly fallen snow. It was morning the snow still fell but not as much as the previous night. It seemed the further north the woman ventured the worse it got, which only made sense. Clementine was taking a few days to do some exploring, to venture forth and witness the first winter snowfalls. Perhaps she could even meet some Wolves that reside in the north and get some much needed pointers about survival in the cold. From her home town she was use to snow but not this much. Clem would not be surprised if she encountered a blizzard at some point this season. It was exhilarating yet terrifying all the same. Clementine was careful as she stepped, ensuring she would not just plummet beneath the snow due to unseen dangers. Her toes were splayed, tail high, and ears perked. This woman was on a mission and it was very evident in the way she moved. There were no thrills, only focus and determination. Maybe the occasional smile when seeing a new beautiful sight. The woman had already covered plenty of ground and it seemed she was getting to the tippy top of the north, at least of what she knew existed. The breeze was picking up, as well as the snow, due to the fact she was getting closer to the ocean. Her obsidian fur dance in the wind, peppered with snowflakes that clung to her pelt. Soon enough she arrived at the submerged woods, a place in which she had only heard rumors of. A layer of ice covered freshly frozen water and the tips of trees poked from the surface. Though, something in particular caught her eyes. A little brown bird was perched upon the tip of one of the trees. A delightful smile slipped across her inky lips as she began to take a few careful steps onto the ice. The intensity of her curiosity getting the better of her. Though, as she took her steps it seemed the ice would hold up. No cracks nor threatening noises yet, which was good. Her pads were splayed and her balance on point. Step by step Clementine got closer to the bird before letting forth a little chirp of her own. "Hello little one!" In those moments everything changed. The Bird flew from its perch into the woman's face and completely startling her. With a yelp Clementine flinched and lost her footing. SLAM. She fell onto the ice, her paws completely slipping from under her. Her chest-bone hit the ice with an audible crack which was not internal, but the ice itself. The ice splintered and cracked from beneath her prone bodice and webbed several tail lengths away. Clementine's pale eyes went wide and she remained completely still. Her obsidian form visibly shook in terror as well as the freezing ice against her belly skin. It was a miracle it hadn't cracked completely, but with sudden movements she may end up submerged into the freezing water. Thus, she did not move a muscle as she silently assessed her situation. speech action

The sound of the ice cracking rang off the surrounding mountains and carried across the frigid air right to the ghoul's sensitive ears. He had been heading to the shore in hopes of preying across the spotted seals that seemed to flock here, picking off of the fish that had made a home in the pines below the ice's surface. It was the most promising hunting grounds that he had found up here in the North, but that crack stopped him in his tracks. Thick neck veered to his left as he peered back over his shoulder, singular bright ruby wide and observant as he watched the mountains around the submerged forest. He feared an avalanche right now... though when only silence seemed to follow the crack he let his fears subside in favor of curiosity.

The rugged brute turned away from his route to the shore, as cautious and slow as ever as he followed the thickest portions of the ice back the way he had come. Some of the denser parts of the forest made for thinner ice that surrounded them, so he rarely ever made his way through them. It was dangerous the further he went into the pines, he knew that.. but.. he also knew the sound of that crack didn't just happen out of nowhere. Perhaps a seal had breached through, or perhaps someone less fortunate than he discovered first hand how thin the ice could be between the trees. He held his breath as he walked for a few seconds, his ears listening acutely for any sound that followed in case there were cries for help.

No such sound met his seeking ears, but the sight of another obsidian wolf in the distance with her legs spread out over the ice gave him the answer he was looking for just the same. He lifted his marred skull and flagged out his tail as his stocky limbs started to move with a bit more haste. He was a heavy wolf who needed to be especially careful out on the ice, but he had been out here already a few times and it was still early into the season. He would not allow himself to rush.. but.. the growing sense of urgency was getting to him the closer he became and could witness her trembling.

"You need to keep moving, you can't stay there! It won't hold you!" He let his voice carry out to her, though he tried not to yell any louder than necessary and risk disturbing anything else.

"Turn back around, the way you came.. hurry!" He tried to find her tracks in the snow as he spoke, assessing which route he needed to take to get to her as quickly as possible without risking falling through himself. It was hard to tell, as.. none of the routes would be something he was normally comfortable with taking but.. he did his best.

He found an area where the trees seemed spread far apart enough to get toward her tracks and went for it, though he could feel in his paws the tension his weight was causing on the ice. He kept his eye on her closely and hoped she was able to snap out of initial shock and terror for what was happening, cause if not.. they were both about to get very cold. Kane could manage swimming to save her, of course, but that didn't mean he wanted to deal with the twelve-hour long journey of trying to warm up again once they got out of the water. His muscles shuddered as they remembered how long it took him to dry last time, but that didn't stop him from venturing out further onto the ice in an attempt to close the distance between them. Something told him she wouldn't make it... and he needed to be able to catch her before she was lost to the currents beneath if she did fall through.

Clementine remained silent for the sake of the ice, she feared any sudden screech or yelp would send her under. Despite her trembles she remained completely still and the ice did as well. There were no further cracks for the time being but the sheer fear of her situation caused the babe's teeth to chatter. Clem was not afraid of much but this was horrifying. Freezing water with the chance of getting washed away from the hole was terrifying. Who knows if she would drown first or freeze to death? Yet, the strong woman pushed those negative thoughts from her mind and began to search for her way out. The woman faced the opposite direction she came thus she did not hear or notice the stranger coming up at her rear. He was far enough away and his voice traveled so softly that he didn't spook her. Clementine digested the words and nodded to herself. It was time to move, despite her fear to do so. This stranger was right if she did not move the ice wouldn't hold her form, she wasn't the smallest femme ever. Thus, Clementine took in a deep breath before slowly turning around. Her belly slid against the cracked ice and her paws selected sturdied flat bits to press against. She felt like a seal, but a seal in a really messed up situation. Suddenly Clementine was face to face with this stranger. Her silver-blue gaze connected with his crimson, silently pleading for his help. With another deep breath she began to very gently and slowly crawl towards the path in which she came. Carefully placing her front paws to pull her along the ice and her rear wiggled to push her forward. Clem did not want to risk standing and rather evenly distribute her weight with her abdomen. Her eyes moved towards the male's and she offered him a very shaky smile. "Thank you.." But, it seems she didn't listen to the last word he has said to her.. to hurry. CRACK Suddenly more ice cracked and a hole behind her formed. Ice plunged into the water below and cracks appeared by the dozen. Slowly the ice fell into the freezing water behind her. Without even looking over her shoulder the woman stood and ran for it. Clementine chose the path with the less cracks and perhaps stronger ice, digging her claws into each step in order to maintain her balance. "RUN!" Her voice was commanding and windswept as she quickly darted through the submerged forest. More cracks could be heard behind her due to the force of her steps but the babe did not stop until she finally made it to land. Clementine plummeted into the snow with frozen paws. She slowed down and quickly pivoted around to look for the stranger. Worry struck her core.. Would he need saving now? What has she caused..? speech action

Kane felt his own heart beating strongly within his chest with fear for the woman he was witnessing tremble and struggle with her current situation. His single ruby watched as she turned around and looked at him with her eyes wide, pleading for help. Her look of innocence burned right through him, and he'd never felt a stronger need to help someone in his life. He started to step back across the ice, watching it web out from under her as she ran across it. He was growing more and more concerned, but she finally made it to him.

His eye found hers and his features remained blank as he tried to process everything that was happening, however.. the only thing he really could focus on at the moment was the beautiful glass orbs staring at him. She thanked him, and it broke him from his trance as he straightened himself up and turned his body to present his right side to her. They needed to move, and he was just about to suggest that when he heard the next crack in the ice. He grunted, feeling his footing become unbalanced as the ice beneath him no longer had a connection with the rest of it. He felt the waves of the ocean pushing up against his foundation and watched as Clementine took off running.

He followed behind her as closely as possible, but it was growing harder and harder to keep his balance without stable footing anymore. He grunted as he eventually slipped, his chest slamming into a large chunk of ice beneath him. He felt the chunk at his back left paw submerge some and push backward away from his body, his foot slipping into the frigid cold waters below. It sent a chill through his bones and made him leap forward immediately, talons gripping the ice and snow as he growled and gave all of his strength to get back on his feet.

Every muscle in his core was tensed, trying to fight the loss of balance by keeping himself in-tune with his footing. If the ice started sinking left, his muscles pulled to the right and vice versa as he focused on every step. He was hardly running anymore, too focused on not slipping through. Water splashed as the ice beneath him moved around and threatened him with every droplet that hit his dark fur. Clementine had managed to make some distance ahead, and he was thankful for that.. but now he was in a new predicament of his own. He saw her ahead, watching him, but only for a brief moment before his eye flashed back to watch the ice immediately in front of him. He tried to aim for bigger chunks, but even they were sinking underneath his weight now as smaller and smaller options became available.

He had been defeated, the ice no longer big enough to remain floating underneath him. His front half went down first and the rest of him simply followed. He held his breath as he felt the water completely surround him, and he tried his best to lift himself back upward to the opening where he had fallen in, but he was already drifting too far away from it. He used all of his strength to fight against the cold knives of the water around him and keep kicking as he tried desperately to find another break in the ice he could get through. He was drifting toward thicker ice, the cracks fading and he'd missed his opportunity.

His heart was racing, but he told himself not to panic.. told himself to keep control of his emotions so that his energy was not wasted. He needed all of it. With a calm mind, he looked around him in the water and found the image of a couple seals swimming away from him up ahead. They had to be going toward the edge of the ice.

He let his back leg push through the branches of a pine and kicked himself off of its core to give himself more speed as he swam after the seals. His lungs were burning by the time he managed to get to the break in the ice they were heading toward. The seals forfeited their idea of getting out of the water themselves and kept swimming, but Kane appeared gasping for air out of a large crack in the ice.. around thirty feet away from where he had initially fallen in. His claws created deep tracks in the ice as he tried to pull himself out, but they kept losing their grip. He was shaking as he clung to the side of the ice, grunting and desperately trying to find something to hold on to so he could get out.

His wits were leaving him as the cold completely consumed him, he needed to get out but his frantic scraping of the ice was getting him absolutely nowhere and he had no idea what to do now.

Clementine now trembled in fear. Her silver eyes wide with terror as she observed the male's struggle. At first he balanced on a chunk of ice only big enough to fit himself but she knew that would not last long. The babe moved onto the ice again but stopped just before any cracks to ensure she would not fall victim again. The babe looked around for a few moments for something to help him with but she came up empty pawed. Frozen dry twigs from the tops of trees would do no good at such a distance. Yet, the worst was not to come. Suddenly his sturdy form plummeted into the ice water and Clem let forth a horrified gasp. Her legs shook from the ice and the fear that swelled up in her chest. Anxiety bubbled in her heart as she watched the boy struggle. "Swim to me!" As the male swam she managed to carefully step towards the edge. Clementine avoided the cracks and balanced herself on the thick of the ice. Tears welled up in her eyes just out of sheer nerves but she batted them away with long lashes. Clementine refused to let herself feel in those moments. The stranger who helped her was now freezing to death because of her. She had no right to feel sad, she had to act. The babe let forth a long breath that could be seen in a frosty cloud as she soon met the edge of the ice. At first he attempted to claw at the ice and pull himself up but kept slipping. But, she shook her head and lowered her form. "I am going to pull you up." She warned due to the what was to come. Clementine leaned down over the male and attempted to grip his wet scruff with fangs. It was a bite mothers would use to carry her pups, but a bit harder as she moved to pull him out of the ice. Her steps backward were steady and her toes splayed to reduce wobbles. The icy water dripped on her form and sent shivers through her already cold body. It seemed they were going to need to find someplace warm or else she feared the stranger may not make the night. speech action

Black talons continued to carve through the ice like a chisel as he desperately kept trying to get the right grip that would allow the beast to pull himself up. His tail moved in all different directions beneath the water as he struggled to find the right angle, his back paws trying to lift themselves up onto the ice though his chest was simply too heavy to make it up onto the ice and make room for his back legs to get the right leverage.

"No, stay --" he slipped back into the water, a wave hushing his command as she neared. He wanted to tell her to stay back out of fear for her falling into the ice herself but when he reemerged, she was already announcing her plan. He was shaking very visibly, teeth clattering as he tried to simply hold onto the ice and prevent himself from falling beneath the water's surface again. He couldn't even feel the teeth on his nape, he was too numb from the cold.. but he felt the pressure and the relief of his weight.

His teeth clenched as he groaned and tried again to pull himself up on top of the ice, his back leg finally managing to get its paw upon the surface. He let out an incredible gasp once he was able to lift himself from the water completely, though his fur felt as if it were already freezing. He could not stop and chat with her, or even thank her, he had to run a few yards away from her and shake his pelt free. He would not risk transferring all the cold from his water on to her.

His muscles twitched beneath his black jacket as they fought the cold, his fur stood on end from his violent shake to rid it of water. It was freezing in place, creating a rather disheveled and spiked look around his entire form. He moved his body to the right, his lone ruby finding her and he struggled to find his coherence again. His toes still splayed across the ice as if he was still trying to keep his balance, risking falling through...

Finally, he started to break the feeling of needing to fight for his life as his head returned to him. He still understood the urgency in which he needed to act in, but in a calm but stern tone he finally spoke up to the stranger.

"I need to head South now, there is a hidden valley out of the Winter wind full of caves called The Gale Gorge. I believe a pack resides there now, but I must ask them for shelter. It is the only place I will be able.. to stay warm enough.." A strong shiver broke apart his speech at the end, but he fought through it and began to move his paws out of concern that they would freeze to the ice. He couldn't feel his legs anymore, or any of his extremities for that matter. He had to keep moving, with or without her.

Clementine knew the severity of the situation. If he did not get warm the man would freeze to death. Frost would overcome his wet form and begin to crystalize. Frostbite would damage his flesh and the cold would kill him from the inside out. Thus, as she was successful with her rescue attempt there were no questions as to why he instantly ran off. The woman followed with careful paw placement and a quick pace. Even the bit of water that got on her fur from splashes and contact from him began to tingle her own skin. Clementine was overcome with a thick layer of worry and guilt. If she hadn't been so clumsy this innocent bystander wouldn't be clinging onto his life. The obsidian babe followed him with wide eyes and a low tail. She shook with fear but also trembling beneath the blistering wind. Her muzzle was rather wet due to gripping his soaked hackles. But, as he turned to her and they were out of harms way the woman took in a deep breath. His words came out in a flurry before he quickly set off through the north in order to find warmth. Not only was the north a naturally cold climate it was the thick of winter. Snow storms and even blizzards threatened them in a way she had not anticipated. They had to get to warmth as soon as possible so she quickly followed him without any sort of question. "We must move fast.." There was a dire pep in her step that was driven by pure fear. The woman then moved to trot at his side, shoulder to shoulder. "Use me for support if needed." A simple demand, one she hoped he would not refuse. The dropping temperatures could only result in numb limbs. speech action