<p>Sage discovers hatching cohos (late winter-early spring according to fauna) in a deeper section of Heartleaf creek. Due to the depth, it is difficult to see but not impossible. AW
Sage, unfamiliar with the dangers of frozen water, trekked upstream carelessly. A fresh kill dangled from her mouth swaying back and forth with each thoughtless step. The yearling trotted along without a care in the world. She had a new home, soon she would have a full belly, and she even had her new friends Eros and Seri nearby. The thought of others' disapproval normally lived rent-free in her mind, but the successful hunt quieted them for the time being.
Rounding a bend she was confronted by a daunting pool. The creek fed into it from above, an insignificant waterfall frozen over by the temperature. The girl slowed to a walk and tentatively moved forward. Had she known better the yearling would not have dared to tempt fate this evening.
Sage's gaze was locked onto the small waterfall, an inquisitive expression flaunting her expressive eyes. She moved across the pool, daring its deepest depths to take her beneath. The ice creaked and moaned. With little warning, the inexperienced child lost her footing and slid out towards the middle.
She breathed rapidly, belly down and legs sprawled out like a newborn fawn. Her emerald orbs were wide, ears tucked firmly to her skull. Her heart thudded against her chest. Too scared to attempt standing up the girl contemplated what to do, ignoring the discarded rabbit a few lengths behind her. Desperately she looked all around.
Another groan from the ice caused her to peer down into the murky water beneath the thick layer. For a long while she stared at the stony bottom, watching pebbles shifting and moving about in a particular way. The longer she watched the unusual movement the quieter her breath drew, the more her muscles relaxed, and her nervousness disapated. She'd become distracted enough to focus on something aside from her immediate situation. After a moment, she could just barely see cracks forming on the small rocks, and then...a fish? It was hard to tell and the wolf's brows furrowed in confusion. "She speaks" She walks She thinks