She hadn't seen Borden in a few days, and after the meals a week ago, she had gotten a better bit of food than she would have had herself. The she-wolf had gone hunting after leaving Raigo in the den, and with luck he would stay where he was supposed to. Vlarindara snarled as she took off after a rabbit, zig zagging in the snow behind the beast, her jaws snapping just inches from its tail. It was the howl that split the air that had caused her to slam to a sliding halt, Raigo! She could hear the terror in it and listened for the direction he was crying from before turning tail and racing that direction.



The white wolf soared over a fallen log, landing easily as she raced as fast as her legs could carry her to the sound of his howling. She let loose a howl of her own as she slid headlong down a slope as she moved, her legs splaying for balance before she landed. The howl had been a simple "I'm coming!" as she charged ahead, hitting the rivers edge before coming to a stop and inspecting the rushing water. She could see the broken ice where he had gone in, and she had to wonder if he'd tried to fish - this river was much too fast! The female ran along the bank, her ground eating lope following the trail of broken ice. There! She saw him!



Vlarindara slid to a halt across the river from him as she began to pace, looking for a way to get him free of the rock island he'd gotten himself onto. She dipped a paw into the water and stepped into it with her other before almost being swept from her feet by the current and having to return to the shore. A frustrated growl left her throat as she bounded up and down the river, looking for a shallow area to cross downriver before returning in long bounds. She knew that he wouldn't be able to hear speech over the sounds of the rushing water, and most likely his own pounding heart. So instead, she let loose a strong howl, not caring who would have heard her - she had other things on her mind. "Hold on!" It said "I'll get you out!"

She wasn't sure what else to do, but the wolf thought of a cockamamie idea to just..jump in. Instead, she raced up the river, splashing in it a few times before her eyes landed on a long branch, it was sturdy, or seemed to be. The wolf picked it up and tested it, trying to break it with both claws and jaws before affirming that it was quite sturdy indeed. She held the branch securely in her haws before gauging the distance from the short to the rock and back. Oh..this was dangerous - but she wouldn't just do *NOTHING*. The wolf backed away a few paces before racing towards the water and jumping, all four paws leaving the ground as she hovered over the rushing river only a millisecond.



The splash when she landed was impressive, and the current drug her a few feet before she realized that not only could she touch the bottom with her padded feet, but there were rocks along the riverbed that she could brace against the current with. Of course, that wasn't after the first tumble and few seconds of scrambling to get her feet under her. After she got herself braced, she knew that if they could manage it, she could possibly get Raigo to the shore. The water swirled angrily around her neck and shoulders, almost covering her entire back as she began letting the current take her towards the rock. The white plume of her tail waved behind her as she literally walked *BACKWARDS* towards the rock, using her returning strength to brace against the current.



When her hind paws touched the rock he was on, she adjusted her footing, splaying her legs for balance and holding her head high. One end of the branch was extended towards the younger wolf, and she hoped that he'd get the hint and grab onto it with every bit of strength he had. Every few seconds or so, one of her feet would slip and she'd have to shift her weight and scramble to replant it firmly in the river bed. She'd had trouble farther out, and had depended on the current and her paws to take her to him without overshooting it. Now that she was here, she'd found that the water was shallower, but still almost too deep for her to stand securely.

The female had no intentions of trying to get him to swim, instead, she began slowly backing away from the rock, and once he was in the water, would begin moving backwards towards the bank. She moved in a slightly diagonal angle, so that he wouldn't have to do much other than hold on. There was another reason for letting him 'float' downcurrent. Her body was planted firmly between him and the water rushing towards them both, this way, she hoped, to create a slight barrier against the crushing weight so he wouldn't get so buffeted by it.



She kept eye contact with the younger wolf the entire time, not in an aggressive way, but trying to silently give him the encouragement she knew he'd need. She hadn't missed the chattering and shaking - in fact, she knew that the moment she was clear of the water, she'd be shaking to.. but for now, her mind was on other matters. Getting him safely to shore was the first priority.. the next was getting him warm and dried off once more. She hadn't even thought about who might have heard them howling - these two strange wolves in their land - nor did she care. Not now.



The female continued to back up towards the bank, doing her best to use her own body as a barrier for him, knowing that at any time, the branch could break, or he could lose his grip.. She prayed that it wouldn't happen, but didn't dare chance a glance behind her to see how far away from the bank and solid ground, she couldn't.

The look on his face had been eloquent enough, and she'd had a moments notice that he was going to lose his hold. The female dropped the branch and dove for the smaller wolf, sinking into the current as her jaws clamped around fur. She could only hope that it was the scruff of his neck, or something along those lines, because she was surfacing whether she had it or not. Her paws scrabbled against the current, searching for any purchase to grab hold of, and it the rushing water that actually gave her her idea. Her jaws tight against his fur, but not enough to break the skin, she worked to keep her own head as well as his above the swirling water.



Despite the cold, or maybe because of it, she knew their time in the water was only shortening their chances of survival, so she did the best thing she could. She turned *WITH* the current and began letting it carry them downstream. The female had no idea where they'd end up, but she simply battled to keep Raigos head above the surface, as well as her own. What seemed like hours, but in reality was only maybe thirty seconds, her scrambling paws touched the bottom and she locked them up, bracing herself in the water despite the current. She had put her back once more to the oncoming water, and was holding onto the pup with all her might. She knew now that she'd managed to grab his scruff and hoped she'd managed to keep him from drowning.



Her feet were steady on the smaller sandbank, and this time, she didn't wait to see if he'd help her, she simply began dragging him to shore. When her back paws touched the bank, she kept going, slipping and scrambling but not letting go of her charge. Finally! She had all four of her feet on the solid ground and begun backing up even more, sliding his soaked form over the snow until he was well clear of the rushing water. A worried whine escaped her then as she forced frozen jaws to release him and moved, nosing against his cheek and face, trying to see if he really was alright. They weren't out of the woods yet, but she'd gotten him clear of the water, by god!

She was worried when he managed to get to his feet once, but fell, and couldn't get up again. Of course, she felt the bite of the cold herself and shook off as best she could, trying to dislodge as much water from her fur as possible. Vlarindara had no idea the thoughts in his head, but she could only grab him by the scruff again and begin pulling him carefully over the snow. She had to find a spot clear of snow, somewhere that she could get him warm, and where the wet of his coat wouldn't continue to soak him, but drain off. Her grip on his scruff was gentle, and she moved as smoothly as she could. Despite the cold gripping her own bones, she couldn't leave him go - that was the one thing she knew most - don't stop and don't let go.



After a short bit of dragging, she saw a darkened patch in the woods and left him momentarily to investigate. At one time, she suspected it had been a small, temporary shelter. Possibly for another wolf, or coyote, maybe even a small bear, but it was hers now as the scents were long gone. The female returned to her charge and once more began to drag him over to the lopsided shelter. It seemed to be purely accidental, a tree fallen years ago had rotted away slightly, and something else had dug beneath it into the dirt. It was rather small, so she ruled out it being a bear... but it was dry thanks to the tree and the other brush and brambles that had blown, and grown over it. She stopped just outside the small entrance she'd found and slunk inside, digging as fast as she could to make it a larger space, an opening that she could settle Raigo into, and still have room for her own form.



After she felt it sufficiently widened, she returned to the pup and pulled him into the small burrow - for that's really what it amounted to being. After some tugging and some more pushing, she would have managed to get him inside, hopefully with his help - but if not, she would manage on her own. After seeing him settled inside the small space, she shifted around herself and moved to curl as close to the smaller wolf as she could, and use her own bulk to keep the dregs of wind from piercing his own sodden fur. There was little she could do now, other than to clean away the excess water from his hide, and to try and keep him as warm as possible. That, and pray that he would be alright after she got him warmed up.