06-29-2015, 05:55 PM
As Elias' grip struggled to find purchase on the girl, something fell past his face that made him flinch. It turned out to be a rope for the girl to grab onto. He grit his teeth. Did Sierra pull that thing out of her ass? She had it on her so often he wondered if it was actually some kind of tail.
"Here! Hang onto it."
He pulled the yelping dog out of the water since the girl was certainly willing to drown herself to save the stupid thing, but mostly to empty her hands. The dog was plunked on the ice behind him, and he hoped that Sierra would take care of it, or at least get it out of his way. He'd hoped she'd grab the thing out of the girl's arms while he was trying to yank the girl up, but it seemed he had to do everything himself.
He doubted Sierra was strong enough to pull the girl out on her own, so he wrapped his arms under the girl's shoulders while the rope diffused some of the load. His throat clenched as he heaved while balancing from falling in himself. Even if he knew how to do something as specialized as freezing an angled slab of ice in a moving river and managed to do so without freezing the girl's legs into solid lumps, he was too distracted to do anything in addition to keeping them from falling through the ice-shelf underfoot. One would think that was an impressive enough of a feat! And while risking his own neck to save someone he'd never met before none the less. He couldn't do enough, could he?
Despite the river water splashing up and over his boots during the struggle, slicking the surface, he managed to pull her out of the water but fell backward as he did. Her tiny body shivered so hard against him, it she was practically spasming. Panting, he gathered her as best he could and ushered her back to land where she collapsed beneath her own weight on shore. The moment they found land the river returned to the way it was. He could barely think otherwise. He slid in front of her. "What happened! What started the fire? Did something attack you?"
She ignored him, reaching and clutching at the dog she'd previously saved. "Look at me!"
Elias tried to shake her back to her senses, but she didn't seem to care.
"Here! Hang onto it."
He pulled the yelping dog out of the water since the girl was certainly willing to drown herself to save the stupid thing, but mostly to empty her hands. The dog was plunked on the ice behind him, and he hoped that Sierra would take care of it, or at least get it out of his way. He'd hoped she'd grab the thing out of the girl's arms while he was trying to yank the girl up, but it seemed he had to do everything himself.
He doubted Sierra was strong enough to pull the girl out on her own, so he wrapped his arms under the girl's shoulders while the rope diffused some of the load. His throat clenched as he heaved while balancing from falling in himself. Even if he knew how to do something as specialized as freezing an angled slab of ice in a moving river and managed to do so without freezing the girl's legs into solid lumps, he was too distracted to do anything in addition to keeping them from falling through the ice-shelf underfoot. One would think that was an impressive enough of a feat! And while risking his own neck to save someone he'd never met before none the less. He couldn't do enough, could he?
Despite the river water splashing up and over his boots during the struggle, slicking the surface, he managed to pull her out of the water but fell backward as he did. Her tiny body shivered so hard against him, it she was practically spasming. Panting, he gathered her as best he could and ushered her back to land where she collapsed beneath her own weight on shore. The moment they found land the river returned to the way it was. He could barely think otherwise. He slid in front of her. "What happened! What started the fire? Did something attack you?"
She ignored him, reaching and clutching at the dog she'd previously saved. "Look at me!"
Elias tried to shake her back to her senses, but she didn't seem to care.