Duck Lake come back to me

Any traveler knew not to consume snow as a substitute for water, so he did not offer this as a solution to her problem. But he gave a glance at her nimble paws and the lightly splintering ice beneath them as she spoke, and then motioned with a small toss of his head for her to come back to the safety of the land. Let me give it a shot, he offered despite his own misgivings, and as Larus carefully backed away from Laurel's position so as to let her pass, he added, If I can't break it for you then... I guess there's the river to the west? But that's pretty far from here. It was at least a day of journeying to be certain, but the water was always rushing and winter's hold was not as constrictive.

Whether or not she took him up on the offer, Larus was soon positioning himself at the lake's edge again and carefully testing his weight with each step, until he could stand atop the sheet of ice. Every step made the ice lurch; that or, the sound of it shifting beneath his weight was causing an unneccessary amount of anxiety. Something about the moment made him very cautious — but not about his own health. Rather, a deeply rooted part of himself wanted to appease this girl. He did not wish to appear weak before her. It was such a basic thing, an intrinsic thing, that Larus was probably not aware of it on any conscious level. He watched her though — ready to pass by if she would allow him to help her.