Sephrina was close enough to the pack lands that she did not feel the need to sneak back in before everyone woke up. Sure, her dad still didn’t like her out exploring on her own, but even he wouldn’t get her in trouble for exploring around the creek. Normally she would have gone farther, but the night was so cold that she had refrained, still wanting her freedom, but also wanting to be able to go and snuggle up with her siblings if she got too chilled.

She had not ended up needing to cut her adventure short, but had been pleased to discover what appeared to be a passage across the creek made of sticks. It stunk to high heavens, but it reminded her a little of some of the log bridges in the Backwater. Confident that she had played on those enough times and this would be the same she had clambered up the beaver dam without much of a second thought.

Once on top Sephrina looked around, squinting against a sudden cold breeze. Things were blurry as always, but also so frustratingly familiar. She wanted to see something new, something exciting, not the same old creek and the same old trees. Even this beaver dam only held her attention for a few minutes before she felt she was ready to move on, convinced despite her sniffing that there was nothing of appeal here.

The child was about to have a dose of excitement that she would not soon forget. Taking a step forward to cross, her paw slid across the frosty branches and she was unable to recover her balance. Falling a few feet towards the ice below she let out a grunt when she landed, the rush of air making her miss the uneasy groaning of the ground below. Getting to her paws, the child was too proud to show that she had gotten winded and just wanted to move on.

Luck was not on the pup’s side, she had thought that she was out here alone and she could just move on from the falling off the dam incident. She had planned on shrugging the whole thing off and slipping back into the territory. No one would be the wiser, and she would tell her siblings and Llinea about how she had had a great adventure. They didn’t need to know that it was a lie, she could be the conqueror of unknown worlds, maybe she could work in a fight with some mystery creature.

Instead she heard her name being called by an uncle who had just reappeared a couple of weeks ago. Looking in his direction, she quickly got up to her paws and nodded her head quickly without saying a word. Embarrassed at being caught she suddenly realized how sore her shoulder was and she felt a lump forming in her throat. Swallowing hard she answered, ”I was just looking at this weird thing. It smells kind of funny.” Normally she might be a little sharper in tone, but for now she just sounded apprehensive. Sephrina was still trying to mask her emotions, and she didn’t want to be in trouble either.

Rolling her shoulder to try and work out the bruise she attempted to sound aloof, ”But it’s just boring.” The Valle child stepped forward, ready to move off the creek and past her uncle and back to tell her tall tales to her agemates. The second her weight shifted, the already thin ice suddenly splintered beneath her paws and Sephrina disappeared into the icy water below.

The child did not even realize what had happened at first as she immediately went into shock. It was freezing and so dark and she couldn’t breath but felt weightless all at once. Her paws instinctively paddled against the water and after a long second she understood that she was underwater. That was when the panic set in and Sephrina began to struggle in earnest to get herself back to the surface. She was lucky this happened next to the dam where the current wasn’t as strong rather than down the creek where she would be swept away under the ice.

Dark muzzle broke the surface long enough for her to gasp a breath before she slipped back under. Black paws churned against the liquid, bubbles swirling around Sephrina as she tried to get her bearings and haul herself out. She was running out of time and she knew it. With one final surge of energy she thrust herself upwards, paws managing to get purchase on the ice nearby and holding her face out of the water. Nose and eyes burned with glacial water, she couldn’t see against the blur and her lungs screamed as she coughed in her first breath.

She couldn’t get herself out, she was exhausted. All the pup could do was scream out, ”VAYKO, VAYKO!" She couldn’t see him, her eyes blinked rapidly against the droplets falling out of her fur and freezing against her face. She needed help, she couldn’t do this alone.

The pre-teen’s body was so cold and in shock that she didn’t even feel her uncle latch onto her scruff and start heaving. It wasn’t until she felt the ice begin moving beneath her front paws that she realized she was being pulled out of the hole. Back legs began to churn with as much energy as she could muster but she was exhausted. Uncle Vayko needed to do the majority of the work, but Sephrina made it out and she was safe, at least from drowning.

Sephrina collapsed down onto the ground as soon as they made it to shore. Her eyelids drooped, threatening to fall asleep right there and then. Her body was racked with a harsh bout of coughing as her lungs cleared out the small amount of water that had been inhaled. The child shivered dramatically, and she groaned as her uncle nudged her to keep moving. She just wanted to sleep, she needed to sleep.

Nodding her head half heartedly she forced her eyes open to seek out Uncle Vayko’s form, ”I’m okay I think.” Now if he would just leave her alone to rest… Sephrina suddenly realized how much she was shivering, ”But I’m so cold.” Had it been this cold before she fell in? It felt like she would never be able to get warm again.

Her uncle was not able to offer the pup much warmth, but it still felt marvelous compared to the parts of her that weren’t touching him. Snuggling against his side her eyelids drooped once more, and she nodded sleepily to whatever it was that he was saying. It wasn’t until she had been prod in the side once or twice that she groaned and got shakily back onto her paws.

Her jaws chattered almost comically as she took a few steps, toes screaming in protest as they came in contact with the icy snow. Sephrina wanted to cry, but she held it in, only barely as she walked by her uncle’s side back towards the infirmary. Whatever was waiting for her there couldn’t be worse than what was happening now.