Qeya River to die for

all is silent until there is a shrill shout. followed by more. screaming, frantic, for help. star eater's cries reach even him, who is closer to the outer skirts of the river, moving quietly amongst the herd as they grazed. the sudden squealing unnerved them, flanks twitching, eyes darting. some began a flee in the opposite direction. blackfell's head rises from where it'd been carried amongst his shoulders, and it is not long before he is bounding through the snowfall.

his paws muted thuds against the ice and snow. in the distance, he can see the commotion. star eater's frantic form pacing down the length after ridgeback, who has willingly or not willingly jumped into the vicious current—it doesn't matter to him which. the woman is shouting about the chieftain's son, and he can only assume the boy is somewhere beneath the frigid black waters. blackfell reaches her side first, shoving his head against her shoulder. get back!

her terror would see her falling through the thin sheet of ice next, and the chieftain's wife would get swept up next. and not even the gods could protect them from what slaughter sun eater might unleash if his eldest son and wife were consumed by the river.

he is turning around, powerful legs carrying him after ridgeback, his heart thumping wildly in the cage of his chest. he does not wait for any order the man might bark at him. he is faster above ground than ridgeback is fighting against the icy currents, and propels himself over the ice, careful to not slip and be consumed by the waters next. his head low, searching voraciously for any visible sight of the boy. then, there: ahead of him by several feet, he sees the momentary bob of a brown body upwards. truthfully, blackfell has zero fucking clue what to do. but it is with his desire to not see a boy die today that he acts and not his rational mind, sinking himself into the waters next when he reaches the drowning ghelan.

if he can manage to catch ghelan with his own body, surely he and ridgeback can haul the boy out of the waters. but that proposed the question: would they be able to get out?