It was a beautiful night, that was for certain. Between the shimmering stars, the gentle breeze and the quiet stillness of snow, it was a perfect night to be traveling. As it stood though, the male wild dog found little reason to keep walking. Which was funny, he'd found that as of late, he's felt like doing nothing but walking. Though, searching was probably the more correct way to put it. For what, he didn't know, but he knew that there was something he should be looking for.

Perhaps he'd found what he was looking for, he mused, though he didn't think scenery was what his instincts were pushing him towards. Anrothan decided to simply enjoy the moment. If he was meant to be here, then he would wait and see why. If, instead, he felt the need to move on, he would do so as well.

In the end, he didn't have to wait terribly long.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed with him simply breathing in the frigid air, but he was startled out of his reverie at the loud crack nearby. That sounded like... something breaking. Ears perking up, he swiveled around when he registered the yelping that followed.

There! A nearby lake, normally so serene at this time of night, had something bobbing up and down a short ways into it. It took him a minute to realize what was happening, before he was up and sprinting across the snow.

So, mistakes were made.

Anrothan hadn't been the only wild dog enjoying this night. It had started out so peaceful, the world finally as still and quiet as her hearing, and maybe Saoirse had gotten a little too excited at it's beauty. She'd found herself skipping through the snow, delighted in the chill that stuck to her fur, and was in such a high that she didn't even notice....

... didn't notice that she'd drifted onto the lake bed.

At least, not until it was too late. Hopping about as she was, she didn't feel the cracks beneath her paws until one paw dipped into the water, and by that point, there was naught she could do. She felt her heart to drop to her feet, before the rest of her went plunging in after it. Her startled yelp was cut off halfway by rushing water, and though she couldn't hear it, she could tell that said water had cut off her cries for help.

Frantic and knowing that she needed to keep herself above the surface, the wild dog kicked and flailed until her head broke surface once more. Between gasps for air and bobbing beneath the water, she yelped out as loudly as she thought she could. She was already starting to get tired though, and that brought a fresh wave of fear through her veins. She didn't want to die. Not like this.

As her head fell beneath the waves one more time though, she discovered that she couldn't push herself back up. Despair coursed through her, and she tried one last time to yell out for help, water instantly rushing into her mouth as she did so.

The next few seconds were a blur to her. She barely registered the plunge as something dunked into the water next to her, or the flash of teeth as they fastened into the scruff of her neck. She did, however, notice when her head was brought back above the surface. Coughing and sputtering, she didn't have the strength to swim out, but she apparently didn't have to. The heavy breathing gusting against her cheek told her that her savior was dog-paddling them both to safety.

The brown wild dog huffed as he broke the surface, relieved to feel the other canine coughing as that also meant they were breathing, but he knew that he needed to get them out of the water as soon as possible. Beautiful as this snowscape was, being wet in it was a death sentence. He needed to get the both of them somewhere warm and dry. He couldn't fix the warm issue quite yet, but he could certainly handle the dry part.

Clawing at the ice, he grunted as a few chunks broke off under his claws, but Anrothan was never one to give up. Bracing himself, he surged forward and managed to push the both of them high enough to get a good grip on solid ice. With a mighty heave, he dragged the other dog out of the water before collapsing beside them. He was incredibly grateful that he was fairly big for a wild dog (not as big as say, a lion, but still decently sized), and that this other dog was on the smaller size. It certainly would have made this much more difficult if they had been the same size.

No time to rest though. The next problem came in the form of being wet in a very cold place. They needed shelter, and unfortunately, he didn't think he'd be getting any help from them- her. His brain stuttered off for a moment as he finally took a good look at the female. Admittedly, he hasn't really come across a girl wild dog in... he didn't know how long, let alone one with such pretty blue and pink fur. It practically glowed under the moonlight, and he found himself speechless.

But he needed to focus, he thought with a shake of his head. Now was not the time. Pushing himself up onto shaky legs, Anrothan scanned the terrain for anywhere that they could take shelter. He was a good digger, but he could feel his muscles already freezing up, and he wasn't positive he could make one fast enough.

Thankfully, he spotted the blessed hole of a cave nearby. It would be a bit of a walk, but it would be a sight warmer than standing out here. Turning back to the female, he winced as he realized that she'd passed out. Nudging her quickly, he sighed in relief when she let out a moan. Just unconscious then, but it would mean that he now had to drag her all the way over there.

Well, the night wasn't getting any younger. Lowering himself down, he nudged and pulled at her until she was lying sideways across his back. Again, it was a good thing she was light, but he was still sore and tired, and the trek over to the cave was an arduous one. Along the way, he found himself wishing he knew her name at least. It'd be nice to know the name of whoever it was he was saving. (and if there was a part of him that really just wanted to know her, he ignored that)

Hopefully he'd find out once she awoke. For now though, he would work to start by getting her dry again.