Greatwater Lake phone ringing, never outgoing

@Alarian >:3

these past few months were not easy on the nomad. with no place of his own or support from others, he had to do everything himself. that was a fine way of living in the warmer seasons. it got lonely at times for sure, but he preferred it. loneliness wasn’t the problem though, it was winter. loners never faired well in her icy grip and felipe was no exception. food was scarce and traveling in the snow everyday wasn’t the best thing in the world. finding a suitable pack didn’t sound to bad right about now.

the young man strolled across the lake’s edge, scanning the water. it wasn’t completely frozen over like most lakes here. finally, he could drink without the hassle of breaking through ice. problem was the opening was a little ways away from the bank. walking over the ice wouldn’t be a problem though right? felipe tentatively put one paw forward. no cracks. he put another paw forward, then another until he was at the opening. 

Had Alarian been born blessed with perhaps a touch more intelligence, a scant few more brain cells to bounce between the dense walls of his skull, he might have chosen a place to stay for the duration of his sickness; he might not be wandering the frozen Teekons, pausing to hack up a lung every dozen-or-so steps, more alone than he's ever been. As things stand, we all know exactly what the idiot is doing, given he's joining this thread all the way out here. He's so feverish he hardly knows where he is. He slows to a halt for the millionth time as another coughing fit overwhelms him, struggling for breath even when it subsides.
Surprisingly, he notices a figure in the distance then; belatedly he sees the lake, too, and its surrounding features, and he thinks a little hazily (and with far more humor than is appropriate for the situation): wow, I'm really fuckin' lost. He gazes at the stranger for several more moments before he remembers what he's looking at, blinking a few times when he returns to the present. Something tells him he knows this wolf — probably the fever. He takes a few steps toward the stranger anyway, though another coughing fit promptly halts him. Maybe it's a sign, he thinks when he's recovered slightly, snorting a quiet laugh that sends him into another coughing fit.

the world around him melted away once he started drinking. he let his guard down for a moment, which was a big mistake. his head jerked up when he heard someone coughing. the sudden movement sent one paw sliding into the water. shit, shit, shit.  he tried pulling it out but that set of a series of events. he lost balance on his other foot and he fell deeper into the water chest first. the frantic attempt to escape caused the ice to cave in under his weight. in a blink of an eye, icy waters surrounded him.

the initial shock scent him in a panicked frenzy. felipe’s head would go under every second. every time it did so, more water invaded his lungs. he was able to yell, “hel-ggl!” a couple times before he went underwater, but that just made matters worse. he tried clawing at the ice, but it was impossible to get a good grip. this might be the end of him.

rip

It takes him a few moments to recover, and a few more to notice the stranger has disappeared. Puzzled, he cocks his head to one side and studies the place he'd last seen the figure until a flash of movement catches his eye. Something... writhing? On the ground? He can't quite tell at this distance, but instinctively he knows something is wrong. He moves faster than he should, vaguely registering the new feeling of ice under his paws, the realization that he's on the lake and the stranger is in the lake. He launches into another coughing fit as he skids to a halt, stopping just shy of the water's edge.
A more clear-headed Ali might realize now that extra caution is needed here; he is sick, weak, weighed down by the heaviness in his lungs and the fever clouding his mind. Unfortunately, clear-headed Ali has been on vacation since around June 2018, and brain-fogged Ali doesn't hesitate to dive right for the flailing stranger's scruff. That he finds his mark at all is a miracle, though his grip only lasts a few moments. He'd underestimated the weight of a panicked, drowning wolf, and promptly suffers the consequences; it only takes half a breath for him to lose his balance, pulled toward the water by the stranger's momentum, and he's toppling into the frigid water alongside him before he realizes what's happening. The shock of it stills his limbs instantly, even as the icy lake wraps around him and starts to fill his lungs, and all he can think is: I would've liked a warmer death.

The beast was already angry with Alarian for disappearing when he was sick. He had been searching for him and continued to grow angrier every time his tracking lead him nowhere. So to track him to the lake only find his scent mixing with another male stoked the rage fire inside him. 

His anger was temporarily forgotten as he watched his lover fall into the partially frozen lake. Without any further thought, the beast sprinted across the snow, not even slowing as his paws touched the ice, which caused him to slip a little with every few steps. With no concern for himself, Midar jumped into the water, teeth searching until they clasped tightly to the back of Alarian's neck. The water was fucking cold, and with each second, he could feel his limbs growing numb, but still he forced his legs to move.

It was a slow process, and his body protested every movement, urging him to just give in to the cold. But the life held between his jaws kept him moving despite the strong need to just give up, and finally, he found a ledge of ice that allowed him enough leverage to pull himself from the water and then to pull the other man out soon after. Body aching at this point, he ignored it and pulled his companion to the snowy shore. Alarian, he managed to get out, the word probably drenched in the panic he was feeling as he wondered if he had been too late or had taken too long to get them from the freezing water. He started frantically licking the man's scarred face, willing him to say something to let the beast know he was still alive.

when he felt someone grab his scruff, a sense of relief washed over him. hell yeah, i’m not dying today! suck it water! but whatever hope he had was lost when the stranger crashed down above him. the weight pushed him down deeper. his only means of escape was probably dead and now they were both royaly fucked.

unlike the smaller male, felipe kept fighting. he would emerge to the surface, try clawing at the ice, only to plunge into the icy graveyard. each time he did this, his energy would drain. maybe this was really it. he was gonna be a frozen body under an icy tomb. but just as he crashed to the surface for the last time, he saw something. someone was running towards them. there was still a chance he could live. a surge of water pushed him back when the dark figure dove in the water. he watched him  grab the smaller male and eventually pull them out to safety. ok, now it was his turn. yep... time to be saved. rigghhhht now. 

ok he’s not coming. 

maybe he hadn’t noticed him. felipe tried to call again only for water to fill his throat. he tried swimming up, but he was too exhausted to reach the surface. his vision began to blur. death itself felt like it was looming over his shoulder.

His vision darkens, and the world is only dark crushing cold around him, and deep down he knows this is it; this is the last mistake he'll ever make, and it's not even a goddamn good one. It is only when this last thought has finally faded from him that he feels the sting of teeth in his scruff, something pulling him. Void of thought and reduced purely to instinct now, his first instinct is to fight. He thrashes fiercely, though fierce seems to be a fairly relative term here; he feels as if he is fighting for his life, yet in reality the result is likely closer to a feeble sort of wriggling.
And suddenly he emerges from the water, gasping and choking, retching up water the moment he feels the harsh sting of air in his throat. He flops gracelessly into the snow, only distantly registering the sound of his name. His lungs somehow feel heavier than before, and his throat burns horribly now — all the way down into his chest, as if he'd swallowed acid and now it eats at him from the inside. Something hits him, then, through the haze of agonized choking; the stranger. You — The word comes out ragged, addressed to his unknown savior and promptly cut off by his coughing. He turns slightly, gesturing haphazardly with his muzzle toward the water. Him. He manages one more word, tone pleading, before he resigns himself to retching up the remaining water in his lungs.

If he had been resisting his rescue, Midar barely noticed it between fighting his own body's response to the icy assault of the water and trying desperately to get Alarian and himself from the lake. That was probably for the best because he certainly didn't need anymore reasons to be angry with the scarred male. 

He watched helplessly while Alarian coughed the water from his lungs, thinking that it couldn't be good for him in his already weakened state. He shook the water from his raven coat as his companion began to speak. Midar followed the gesture the other man made towards the water and as he spoke the word him, his ears flattened, and he had to swallow against the force of his rage. He means nothing to me the beast said, tone as cold as the water currently stealing the stranger's life. Why would I risk my life to save him? Alarian was his and the beast needed him even if he hadn't fully admitted the latter to himself yet; there was no way he was going back in the frozen lake to save some nobody, especially when he wasn't even sure why Alarian had been here with him in the first place. If the stranger was seeking companionship from the scarred man, then he'd probably prefer to die in the frigid water; the beast was sure to have a much more painful death planned for him.

AJSHJAJ forgive me i had to

meanwhile, felipe continues to die.

It takes him a moment to register the other's words as his coughing dies down, replaced by ragged, gasping breaths; when he does, though, it hits him immediately that he'll have to do this himself as he'd intended. The realization sends a rush of adrenaline through him, though he feels nothing more than panicked and weary as he pulls himself to his feet. Logic had died in the icy waters, and to his shock-numbed mind the danger is minimal. Or at least, the cost is one he can swallow; his life has never meant very much to him, even at his best.
None of this crosses his mind as he turns wordlessly toward the dying stranger, struggling to stifle his coughs as he moves on slightly unsteady paws. He might imagine later that heroism drove him, that perhaps he isn't quite the piece of shit coward he's always proven himself; in this moment, though, he knows the raw truth of it. Fear drives him, as it always has — fear of the weight of this stranger's death sitting heavy between his shoulder blades, perched with every other demon he's collected. He would rather suffer the frigid waters again — he would rather die —
And he probably will lol.

He watched with concern and apprehension as Alarian continued to cough but said nothing in response to his words. Then, he got to his feet and started heading back to the water. For fuck's sake; he wasn't going to let this go was he? He was going to make Midar save this insignificant life just to keep him safe. The beast ran to stand in front of the other man, aiming to make him stop before he did something incredibly stupid. Dammit, fine, I'll get him out if it means you'll stay here, he growled. I won't watch you die for some stranger, he added before turning and heading back towards the lake. 

He was freezing already, and the last thing he wanted to do was go back in that damn water, but he knew Alarian would try if he didn't, and that was just not going to happen. He was sick--he shouldn't even be here in the first place. God, if Midar made it through this, he was going to kick Alarian's ass. He moved carefully across the ice to the opening where his lover had been, and he could see the other wolf just below the surface of the water. The beast jumped back in, searching once more and locking his teeth on the skin on the back of his neck. The water was like knives on his already frozen body, but he just wanted to get this done so he could take Alarian away from here and make sure he was okay. Midar once again found the right spot in the ice and hoisted himself out of the water before dragging the other male out. He pulled him to the shore and dropped him unceremoniously in the snow before walking back over the Alarian. Alright, he's saved, now let's go.

everything around him started to fade to black. the only light provided was the opening in the ice. the last glimpse of life. he clenched his jaw when it was blotted out. i can’t die like this. his heart hammered in his chest. no! i’m not ready... please... death never crossed his mind before and so he never thought to fear it. but now that it was staring him right in the face, he felt nothing but that. this was it.

or so he thought. the gods decided it wasn’t his time. something grabbed onto his nape and suddenly he was hoisted to the surface. snow never felt so good. his nose and ears stung from the onslaught of water. he retched and coughed wildly. it was very uncomfortable, but hey, at least he was alive.

He doesn't quite make it to the water, blocked suddenly by a wall of blue-black fur. He hardly has time to process both the identity of his savior and his words before he's gone; he's left blinking, heart thumping painfully as he sinks back on his haunches. All at once he feels stupid, selfish, weak — but afraid more than anything, struck hard by the realization that he has sent his lover back into the frigid water for a stranger. Someone he knows nothing about — someone surely not worth losing Midar.
He looks away, bile rising in his throat as he imagines the possibilities. He can't bring himself to look until he hears the telltale splashing of his lover's exit from the water. His gaze darts first to Midar's soaked figure, then briefly, guiltily, to the half-dead stranger. The slim wolf looks more like a drowned rat than anything; he might feel some stirring of sympathy were it not for the overwhelming heaviness already sitting in his chest. All he can do is nod numbly to his lover's words, rising unsteadily and looking away from the stranger, away from Midar. He shivers fiercely, pushing away any semblance of thought; he can't afford to think, not right now. All he can do is follow Midar.

He shook out his coat as best he could and stalked towards Alarian, his expression making it clear he wasn't in the mood for an argument right now. He was cold and wet and so fucking angry with the other man. It seemed Alarian had no intention of arguing either because he quietly fell into step behind Midar with no further interest in the soaked stranger in the snow. Midar spared the stranger not even a single glance as he marched away with his lover following closely behind--he had already done far more than the man deserved in his eyes--he could figure his own shit out from here. All the beast wanted to do was get them both warm and make sure Alarian was okay. He also had a few heated words for the scarred male, but that could wait until he was sure his enraging lover wasn't going to die.

he barely noticed the two leaving. hell, he barely noticed anything right now. the snow, the wind, and the icy water clinging to his back made for a dangerous combination. what little was left of felipe’s strength was long gone. everything around him started to fade. the nomad would fall into a deep sleep, but before his eyes closed shut, he saw the two figures fade into the horizon.