Dumpling, Leemur and Casserole emerged from among the thick conifers, the sharp light illuminating their faces. As their eyes have adjusted, they have noticed an obstacle on their path. A roaring, white with foam river cut the ground, splattering water around. It was running fown from the mountains, carrying a chill scent of pine and cold stone with its flow. A droplet of cold, mountain water was tossed at the white Tsabhua's snout, causing her to shake her head. Her companions - a hairless Belemoid and a Tark'ee - were craning their necks, trying to find some way to cross the raging river. Squinting her eyes, Dumpling could notice the light reflecting off the wet rocks poking from above the surface. These could be used to pass through the river!

"So, what do we do with this fact?" The crab Tark'ee stepped forward to the edge of the riverbank. He reached out with his paw, yet moved it away just as quickly, shaking the water droplets off. "It's freezing cold - is there really no different way to get to the other side?"

Dumpling looked around once again. On the right was the roaring river while on the left - the roaring river as well. It didn't seem like there was a way to get around it. They had to go through it.

"I don't see any bridges or anything around," she shrugged in an answer. "But we technically could use the rocks and anything poking out of the river to pass through! I've done this before"

Leemur blinked slowly and then turned to look at the river once again. He noticed a small stone nearby and reached out towards it, his face scrunching up at the memory of the cold water. Putting his weight on it, he noticed that it seemed to feel pretty stable.

"Careful" Cass walked up a little closer. "Not only are these slippery, but they might be wobbly as well. We need to be careful when we cross"

"Oh I know" Leemur clicked his beak, his ears flattening. "We all will end up wet this way, even if I am sure if Dumpling looked a bit harder, there would be another way. She did say she knew Rekes like the back of her hand, after all"

"Hey! I think you have to cross a river at least once in a lifetime - for more experience, you know?" Dumpling pouted, crossing her arms. "And I swear I do not see any different way through!"

"I don't seem to see another way, either" the Belemoid's ear flicked. He tugged at the collar of his sweater with his claw as he looked at the cold stream. There was no way he would be getting out of this adventure without a soaking wet and cold attire.

"Well, let's get going before the weather is calm" The Tark'ee sighed. "If it starts raining, this entire trip might not end up well and the river will become uncrossable"

"Maybe I should come first and check which path is stable?" Casserole suggested, stepping forward. "Even if I slip, I think I'm nimble enough to not let the current take me too far away"

"If you wish - it's not like I am so eager to get soaked" Leemur replied, his ears flattening at the very thought of crossing.

"Are you sure you really want to go first? You're like…" Dumpling gestured circles with her hand, trying to find a proper way of saying that her Belemoid companion was bald. She felt like it could be a touchy subject. "…Without an extra protective layer"

"Don't worry, it shouldn't be too bad if I get just a little wet" he reassured her, tugging at the collar of his sweater with his claw. "And I wear a sweater to protect myself. Just follow my lead and tread carefully - with these slippery stones it won't be hard to sprain or break something"

Cass squinted, analyzing the river and looking for a possible path among the scattered stones. This was going to be a hard nut to crack - most of the stones poking their heads out from beneath the raging surface were jagged, some even sharp enough to hurt someone's paw pads. Among them, a few smooth ones, seeming to be safe enough. He scratched his chin, planning everything out.

"Wait! I have a great idea!" Dumpling interrupted his thinking, exclaiming out loud. "What if we hold our tails when crossing? This way we're not going to get lost and it will be easier to drag someone out of the water if they fall-"

"Seriously? By the tail?" Leemur pointed out. "I don't know about Cass, but I do not sign myself up for tail-tugging - especially if it's for dragging out my entire weight from the river"

"Well, it's better than nothing and drowning!" She pouted.

"Don't worry, Dumpling - no one is going to drown," Casserole chuckled softly. "Now, tread carefully and follow me"

With these words, he hopped onto the closest, safest looking stone. A shiver ran down Cass' spine as he felt how cold that stone felt under his feet. He continued forward quite swiftly before pausing for a moment. Turning his head around, he noticed that both Dumpling and Leemur were slowly following - even if their movements were silenced by the sound of the river. He plopped down, curling his tail around himself as he waited for the two to catch up, when Dumpling's foot suddenly slipped and he was splattered with icy-cold water.

"Ah! Sorry!" Dumpling squeaked, shaking off the water off her fur.

"No d-don't worry - are you okay?" Cass asked, already trembling as his sweater was all wet. It was not good…

"… What?!"

Right - everything was unclear due to all the noise. Cass clenched his teeth and waved his paw as if he wanted to say we'll talk later. He hopped to the next stone, his claws grasping it tightly.

"… I don't think you're going to get out of this without a cold, Cass" Leemur commented, his words partially traveling to the Belemoid's ears.

The three continued making their way through the river, treading even more carefully after Dumpling's slip. Despite the coldness and shivers, Casserole leading the rest was glad when he saw stable ground once again and hopped off the last stone. His instant instinct was to grab his sweater in two hands and twist it, squeezing out the water. The Tsabhua and the Tark'ee, too, have joined him soon, shaking off the cold droplets. No one made it out dry.

Leemur looked at his companions and he frowned - all of them were soggy and cold.

"… I think we should start looking for brushwood to set up a warm fireplace, before we continue our travel," he sighed. "To lessen the chance any of us ends up with a cold… Tho I think it cannot be avoided"