Redhawk Caldera m a r d u k

Lilitu had been right. Her coat grew thicker with winter’s arrival. No matter how chilly the air grew, how dark and filled with snow, she never felt cold. During her waking hours, her constant frolicking kept her warm. When she slept, Ani always snuggled closely to a family member, usually Chickadee.

She enjoyed the residual warmth of just such a cuddle as she galloped across the swards of snow today simply for the sake of it. Her blood ran warm as she plunged down a familiar slope draped in white, so carefree in her ramble that she didn’t pay attention to exactly where she was going.

The instant she fell through a patch of thin ice into the frigid water below, the cold stunned her. By the time she thought to kick, her limbs were already heavy with it. She paddled her legs defiantly, though she could not find the place where she’d fallen through. Ani found only thick slabs of frozen water. In what felt like slow motion, she pounded a fist against it, bubbles trailing from her snout in a silent shout for help.