He’ll be honest. He didn’t see his morning going like this. He had wandered off from Nanuk’s side—or rather, she had wandered from his, tit for tat and all that, she being the relentless adventurer she was, and him, the unwilling but dutiful shadow. What was important about this story was that while he scouted the rugged beauty of this wild land, Nanuk had her sights set on transforming it into something charmingly quaint. He still didn't know how she’d accomplish that. Either way, she’d taken off toward the shimmering lake they’d glimpsed earlier, probably convinced that ice skating was the perfect way to spend the day. Of course, Vawraek had no clue what she was up to—talk about a masterpiece of miscommunication. He was too busy living in his own little world.
But when she didn’t show up at their little hidey hole, and Vawraek grew too impatient—more like dangerously anxious—to wait any longer, he decided to follow her tracks.
The scene he stumbled upon had his poor heart lurching into his throat. Damn him and his dark, chivalrous heart. See that, Dad? He could be charming and gentlemanly—when the situation called for it, anyway.
He wasted no time rushing toward the two wolves scraping precariously on the edge of cracking ice—or was that second wolf trying to drown his lady? After a brief flush of anger and possessiveness, he thought, “Oh hell no,” his blood roaring with indignation. A snarl curled in his throat as he launched himself forward. The ice, cold beneath the pads of his paws, crackled and moaned, but surprisingly held firm under his considerably heavier weight. He didn’t dwell on that; he had bigger issues at hand. Like stopping his lady from drowning. Drawing closer, he realized the perilous state of the ice. There was no way he could reach Nanuk or the other wolf without collapsing the thin barrier beneath him.
So it seemed he would have to brave the frigid water. God, his balls were going to fall off for sure now—and that wasn’t exactly a joke. Though, he had to admit, maybe, just maybe, Nanuk would make it up to him later. He still had so much to teach her, after all. Focus! He admonished himself, biting back the rising panic as the ice groaned ominously under his weight. “Shit…” he muttered, his brow furrowing in concentration. “God damn it,” he snarled, letting frustration color his voice as he called out into the chaos. “Yeah, uh, Nanuk, I didn’t exactly want to go swimming today,” he grumbled, staring down at the dark, insidious water below the ice. “So you fucking owe me!”
And then he jumped in.
The shock hit him like a freight train, an awful, horrendous moment where it felt less like entering water and more like he was being swallowed by fire, the icy grip closing around him. “Fuck!” he barked out, shaking off the initial shock as he realized his feet could touch the bottom. The expression that formed on his face spoke louder than words ever could: deadpan, utterly fed up, about as charming as a wolf in a tutu.
Shaking off the pulse of shock, he trudged toward the two flailing idiots. “God damn it, for fuck’s sake, stop fucking moving and grab on!” he barked, positioning himself within their reach, the weight of his frustration palpable in the bitter air. A little chivalry never killed anyone, right?
But honestly? He just might think it will. Today was testing his patience, and he could feel it fraying at the edges.
