Blacktail Deer Plateau now that the evening is slowing

they were soon standing beside one another, staring into the depths of the pond. it went down much further than ying had imagined. yeah, she whispered back. a pang of envy came over her; she'd thought that she would be the first to spot a fish. 

she took one careful step onto the ice, testing if it was stable enough to hold her weight. another small crack formed and she leapt back, walking to try another section. ice here is thinner than that ice. ying nodded toward the pond's center. 

you walk it, she explained, taking one, two, three careful steps onto the ice, but be careful. there was one plate left intact enough to stand on. she nodded for the other girl to follow, a cautious smile on her face.