Once Seth had the girl out of the water and on the ice, he quickly tied the rope around her, since the ice was continuing to crack under them.  He would have liked Midnight to back up a little faster, but it might have been hard on the girl with her flesh being dragged on the ice.  As the ice broke, it created jagged edges that was hard on her skin.  And as much as he wanted to pull her on top of him so his coat and not her skin was rubbing the ice, the crust was giving way too fast to allow for a change of position.  But finally, they were on solid ground.<br/><br/>Seth leaped up and ran to his horse for the blanket on the back of the saddle.  Wrapping it around the girl, who was shaking like a leaf, he lifted her up and carried her to the sled, shoving some of the provisions aside to make a space for her.<br/><br/>"My place is not far from here.  We'll get you there and get you warm.  Then you can explain why you jumped into an icy pond naked."  He gave her a smile, trying to make light of the situation.<br/><br/>As he mounted his horse and spurred it into a trot towards the cabin, Seth wondered at the disappearance of the wolf and the appearance of the girl.  He'd never given much credence to tales of werewolves, but the time between when the wolf went into the water and the girl's arm had appeared was hard to explain.  If she had fallen in elsewhere and been under the ice, why would she emerge at that spot just as the wolf had gone under?<br/><br/>Arriving at the cabin, Seth dismounted and opened the front door before running to the sled to lift the trembling girl in his arms and carry her inside.  An easy chair was near the fireplace, so he laid her in it and went to stoke the fire with some more wood.  She curled up under the blanket to cover as much of her flesh as possible.  Maybe something warm to drink would help.<br/><br/>"I'll make some coffee, unless you'd prefer hot chocolate."  He should probably make some soup as well.  The girl was still shivering violently.  He needed to get her temperature up.