The ice goes crack

The last thing any father wanted to hear was the scream of his child filled with genuine fear. That was exactly what Maverick heard while he was teaching Rogue the proper stances he could use during a fight. The playful lesson with his middling son was interrupted by the panicked howl from Rampage coming in the direction of the lake. It was enough to make the wolf's heart stop beating, teal eyes narrowing in sharp focus. "Go back to the palace, get your mother," he instructed Rogue in stern tones, the seriousness in his voice leaving no room for debate or protestation from his son. Then he was gone, sprinting through the snow in the direction of his other son's call for help. He ducked and weaved through the dark forests with ease, using the light of the moon to help guide him and keep him from tripping on any upturned roots. When he finally arrived at the shore of the lake, his blood ran cold at the sight he saw. Rampage was out on the middle of the damned ice, leaning over a hole broken down into the frigid lake!

There was no room for thoughts or planning in Maverick's head. He was an impulsive wolf by nature, but this was even more reckless as he sprinted out over the ice, using calloused paw pads and sharp claws to act like snowshoes to prevent him from slipping on the slick ice. With it still being the dead of winter, the ice was thick enough to support his greater weight, but as he got further out onto the ice field and nearer to the cracks his children had made, it began to groan in protest. Mav didn't even stop to ask what was going on. He ran right to the hole in the ice, scooping up Rampage in his paws and hucking him back behind him to slide the pup over the ice onto the stable uncracked sheet. "Go back to shore!" he shouted at his son, eyes narrowed and furious as he pointed Rampage back to land. Then he dared to look down into the hole and his heart sank. Bobbing just underneath the surface of the inky black waters were splotches of white. Rebel.

The hole in the ice was too small for a dire wolf to dive down into, but a little thing like physics wasn't about to stop the sire from saving his daughter. Rearing back on his hind legs with an enraged snarl, Mav drove his paws down onto the edges of the cracked ice with all his might, shattering them and widening the hole enough for him to dive straight down into the pitch black lake. Hitting the water felt like slamming face first into a wall of icy needles. Pain instantly hit his body and his muscles tensed and went rigid from shock. Even his dense winter coat did nothing to protect him from the freezing embrace of the frozen water. Only the knowledge that his daughter's life was on the line kept the father moving, teal eyes opening to peer through the dark water and find the murky white shapes of her again. Maverick was a natural swimmer, but even this water proved challenging for him. He kicked and pushed his way over to Rebel, jaws parting to snatch up her scruff before he kicked his way back to the surface.

Both wolves erupted from the lake in a splash of water, Maverick sucking in breath through his nose while he padded and treaded the water to the best of his ability to keep them above the surface. He doggy paddled over to the edge of the ice, giant forepaws clutching at the slippery edge as he tried to pull them up, only to wind up slipping back into the water when his claws couldn't find purchase in the smooth ice. Growling in frustration, Mav once more swam up to the edge of the ice, thinking quick before he and Rebel both froze to death or drowned. He couldn't pull them both out here, but he could get her out. Paws clasping to the edge of the ice again, his claws scraping at the smooth, slick surface, Maverick pulled himself as close to the edge and as much out of the water as he could without slipping, then used all his might to hoist his soaked daughter up out of the lake and onto the ice. Once she was safely up on the ice, he pointed back to the shore as well. "G-G-Go," he growled to her, fighting to keep his teeth from chattering while he bobbed up and down in the black water. It was all he could say in his freezing state, and he prayed Rebel was coherent enough to get going so he could focus on getting himself out of this without drowning now.

"Maverick"