The little lass woke up as soon as she heard Kira's voice, those small triangular ears pointing every which way. At first, the brindled brutale wondered why the darling looked so confused . . . surely she hadn't been sleeping THAT deeply next to the roaring falls . . . but suddenly she caught sight of the miniature she-wolf's eyes. Pity and sorrow welled up in Kirastasia's empty heart like water spilling over a cup. The child was blind!

Of course, Kira only had a moment to feel sorry for the faerie before that compassion was snapped up by fear. "Stay right where you are! Don't move!" Terrified, the pallid wolfess thought that the blind girl might mistakenly walk right into the current, not realizing that a sloshing splashing DANGEROUS river separated them. "I . . . I'll be right over. Just give me a minute . . ."

Frowning, the arctic princess jumped into the water. At this point in the falls, the crystal clear water had pooled so that its current wasn't so violent or demanding - but Kira was a full grown varg. Her beautiful, long limbs carried her easily to the other side of the falls; had the pup attempted such a feat, the snowbird feared she'd drown before she made it a tail-length. With a gasp, Kirastasia pulled herself up on the river's opposite side, shaking her fluffy coat vigorously to rid it of clinging moisture. Some of those droplets most definitely landed near the cub . . . but come on! Kira could only worry about so much at one time.

"My name is Kirastasia," the ice damsel beamed, smiling down at the lass although she could not see it. "What's your name, sweet thing?"