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Ergon stiffened up after both boys fell and picked up his pace. There was no crying out though, so that was good. "You heard your mother. We've got further to go before we stop. Get up before you soak your coats." Eirex was on his way back, but something was going on with Reaghan.

His eyes were locked on the boy while his other hand reached out for Eirex to take. The bit of ice at the water's edge crackled sharply under his feet, but surely that was just from it being the edge... "Keep coming, Eirex. Reaghan? Do you need help getting up?"

Riya finally managed to get right up beside Ergon. Though she let him handle getting Eirex since she didn't want to put added weight on the ice at the edge. She was smaller than Ergon but that didn't mean anything. She waited until her son was on solid ground before she reached out to him. "Come on. Is your coat soaked through?" She saw that he had some snow stuck in places on the outside so she wanted to make sure it hadn't melted and made the garment wet.

When she heard Ergon ask Reaghan if he needed help getting up she glanced up to look at her other son. She wasn't sure what he was looking at. Maybe he saw a fish move in the ice under him? "Come on Reaghan." She encouraged him to get moving.

Ergon felt Eirex's hand in his own with a sense of relief and tugged a little harder than he'd meant to. He just wanted his boys on solid ground. His attention went back to Reaghan and winced at yet another fall. His whole body froze when he heard another sharp crack of ice, but it wasn't under his feet this time.

One moment his son was visible, and then the next moment.. he was just gone. It took a split second for his heart to sink into his feet and his body burst into motion. "Keep Eirex here!" The ice crackled under his feet but he wasn't about to stop; never mind that he was more skidding along the surface than actually running anyway. Stopping wasn't an option. That burst from the solid ground was more than enough to keep his momentum going.

The memory scratched at his mind again, but he was too concerned to give in to that fear. He slid to his knees to grab the edge of the hole Reaghan had vanished into, his arm thrust into the freezing water. He couldn't feel anything, and the ice under him was starting to give way, too.

With half the sense to yank his coat off to keep it dry for later, he tossed it to the side and slid straight into the dark lake, eyes cracked to try seeing anything and arms sweeping everywhere.

She gently winced when Ergon yanked Eirex off the ice. "Easy." She lightly scolded him. Though she gently took hold of her son and offered him a soft smile, petting down his hair with one hand and helping to brush the snow off him.

Riya looked up in time to see Reaghan fall again. She was about to tell him to take his time and just slide back over when he suddenly disappeared under the ice. "Reaghan!!" She screamed out, panic lacing her tone. The command to keep Eirex with her was met with her arms going around her son and pulling him close so that he couldn't go anywhere near the ice.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and her eyes filled with tears as she worried she had seen her other child for the last time. "Ergon?" She questioned when he started to take off his jacket. Then he went in too. "Ergon!!" Iriyana couldn't help! She had to keep Eirex from going after them. When she heard him scream for the other two she looked down at him before she simply picked him up. He might not be a baby anymore but holding him would bring her more comfort and she could make sure he didn't go running back onto the ice that way. "Shhh. Shh. Daddy will get him."

The water was already making his fingers numb, and Reaghan had been under longer. Ergon tried to make himself slow down, barely able to see anything in the dim light. The boy couldn't have gone far, right?

There! In the scattered light than sifted through the ice, he saw a pale face and hands. He kicked his legs and prayed his eyes weren't just playing tricks on him. His clothes were weighing him down, making his movements slow and cumbersome. His hand reached out.. and hit something solid. His eyes burned with relief, but it wasn't over yet.

He pulled Reaghan tightly against himself and gave a kick without thinking, and his head smacked against the ice. He had no idea where the hole was anymore. A cuss slipped out, focused thought becoming difficult. He had to get Reaghan out! He turned onto his back and gave the ice a hard kick. It pushed them back down into the dark, but the second kick found his boot breaking through. Instantly, he curled so that he could shove Reaghan to the surface. He needed to open the space more before he could fit through fully. The ice was breaking easily now though.. They couldn't linger. "Reaghan," he gasped out, pleading for a reaction before he was even fully out of the water himself.

Her eyes were locked on the hole in the ice. Waiting. Riya knew the tears in her eyes were starting to fall over and they would eventually freeze to her face but she couldn't stop them. She was beyond worried. There was no movement at the hole.

The few moments that passed by felt like eternity as she waited for something. Any sign that her husband and son would be alright. Then she heard something hitting the ice from below. Had they gotten too far from the hole? What if they couldn't break through!? Iriyana felt panic rising even more. She couldn't leave Eirex to go help them because her son would likely follow.

Finally the ice broke and she watched as something - or rather someone - was pushed through it. She gave a gasp of relief to see Reaghan. He was shortly followed by Ergon. Or at least partly. He still needed to get out of the water. She didn't say anything as she watched, her eyes locked on the small form of her son since he wasn't moving yet.

With no response coming, Ergon felt his already racing heart beat even harder. His eyes burned from the cold water and the fear, but he had to move. Attempts to climb out met with more ice crackling and breaking under him.. He eventually got out and had to slide on his belly to spread his weight, clothes and skin trying to stick to the ice while dragging Reaghan by an arm.

When he did try to stand again, his leg went right through the ice. It was shallow enough though that he could put his weight onto the frozen bottom and stand. It wasn't as though he could feel the cold of the water anymore anyway. Everything was freezing. He hugged Reaghan to his chest again and kicked through the rest of the shallows to reach where Riya and Eirex were.

While Reaghan was lax and unresponsive, Ergon was stiff as a board and trembling uncontrollably. Still, he smacked at the boy's back a couple times before he laid the little body down and forced air into the lungs. If the boy had inhaled water, it needed to come out.

There was no thinking, just doing. He could pass out once Reaghan, once his family, was safe.