Ice Smash
After a bit of thinking, you decide to try the brute force method of just breaking the ice to be able to catch some fish. So you lift yourself up on your hind legs, rising higher and higher while balancing and then crashing your weight down onto the ice. And as your body drives itself down you try to smash the ice with your front legs.
And it seems to work! Your body smashes down against the thick layer of ice and it starts to crack just a bit. Encouraged by your little success you do the movements a second and a third time.
With the second smash you see the cracks getting wider and deeper and with the third...
Splash! Your front body sinks into the water as the ice breaks under your weight. The ice cold water bites on your skin and you feel the cold for the first time with full force. Quickly, you try to get out of the water, your hind legs pull back and your body slides onto the rim of the ice. Quickly you pull away a bit farther so you don't break more of the ice than you want to.
As you shake your body to dry up your fur a bit, you examine the hole in the ice. Now you only have to try to catch some fish. Has to be easy, as long as you can endure the cold bite of the water. And with a few long and deep breaths, you overcome your doubts and jump into the hole, diving down.
Thankfully the river isn't really deep, only a meter of it is still unfrozen, so you don't really have to swim. You open your eyes, just to realize that the water doesn't affect them at all, thanks to your third eyelid. You grin again and try to grab some of the fish that are startled by your sudden appearance. They're quick and your movements a slowed by the cold water. Every time you try to catch one, it just swims quickly into a direction you didn't anticipate. With a frustrated growl you resurface and climb out of the water. This is harder than you thought.
Written by Lifeguard Arran on 11 June 2018
