Found it- there beneath her feet, surely, was a weak point in the ice. She could hear the tiny groan of the ice as her weight came down upon it and when she tilted her head to the side she could hear the water bubbling not far below its surface. She scratched away the snow with one forepaw, still completely oblivious to the fact that she might have been spoiling the other wolf's hunt for she was downwind of the male and could not see or detect his scent. Focused as she was on the task at hand, she paid little attention to the prickling sensation which began to creep up her spine until it caused the hairs at the nape of her neck to stand on end. She stopped, frozen, and slowly flicked one ear back.She made no sudden movements as she tried to listen in on her environment for any answers to the sensation she felt. But the dark stranger was careful with his footing, at first, and any sounds made by his footfalls were masked by the sound of the wind rustling the snow on the surface of the stream. Still, she was not satisfied, though she briefly entertained the idea of ignoring the sensation and renewing her investigation of the weak patch in the ice.
As suddenly as the idea struck her, she crossed it off her list when she heard something behind her. The girl's head lifted and she swirled around, hind paws skidding slightly on the surface of the stream, sending a little shard of ice skittering across the stream and into an open hole in the ice. It plonked into the water, distracting the petite female again, but now her eyes had locked onto the stranger who'd been there all along, she supposed, watching her. She stepped back instinctively, tail hanging limply, and lowered her head. His posture was confident but calm and while she did not feel fearful, she had been caught by surprise and owned up to it, becoming neutral rather than aggressive.
Her bewildered gaze softened when she saw the mildness on his silvered features and realized that had he wanted to hurt her, he likely would have been a crouched pose or he might have made a move while she still had her back turned to him. He would have been just some other lone wolf- interested in company but neither terribly social nor psychotic and aggressive- had she not detected the scent of other wolves on him. He was either travelling with companions or part of a pack; she assumed the latter, by the way he seemed so at home, so at ease. One ear flicked back, and then forward again.
Before she could get a word out, the weak patch of ice- which was now directly beneath one of her forefeet after she'd spun around to face him- suddenly cracked and the ice gave away, creating a reasonable sized hole where her paw had been. She was quick to sidestep, shifting into balance swiftly, as though she'd anticipated such an event. Not even her claws had touched the water's surface, and she glanced at the opening briefly, quite pleased with the fact that she hadn't had to try at all to break through before she looked back to the male, scanning him over once more. He was fit, healthy; his coat dark but touched with silver guard hairs, though she suspected that this was a colour he'd been given as a pup, not something which had occurred from age or stress. He looked to be in his prime, a rugged, tough-looking creature, bearlike in build though he was not as large as some. He was impressive, to say the least, and the hue of his silver eyes was alluring, though she did not look long into his features. She glanced to the side and gave him a quiet nod, not knowing what to say that wouldn't be either typical chit chat or some pointlessly obvious statement.