Her touch felt warm against the side of his neck. 

He watched her as she moved across the ice, his paws easily allowing him to reach her side. At Zane’s soft whimper of warning the young prince gave his own soft chuff. He'd tested the sturdiness of his ice several times, though even now he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. His tail easily wrapped around Thea’s middle, grey ears flicking to listen for other sounds. Reaching the middle of where his sheet of ice ended he paused, a soft huff escaping his lips as the sight of the expanse of water. This lake flowed into a rather large river, the size of which made the young prince hesitant to use his ability. 

 Freezing water was simple enough, the hard part was keeping it frozen when a continuous flow kept coming. His sharp gaze watched the current as it flowed forward, his maw parting in a silent snarl. Allowing Thea to enter the water now would be the worst thing he could do, Zane and he had fur and could stand the frigidness. Their human companion couldn't, Byrce began to absently scratch his front paw against the edge of his ice. His head tilted downward slightly until his nose was mere inches from the water, the sound of water filling his ears for a moment as he focused. He didn't have full control yet and using too much at once left him exhausted, though for this he'd gladly feel the drain if it meant keeping Zane and Thea dry and warm. Yipping twice to draw Zane forward -he ignored the smell of anxiety from the other wolf- before he moved forward. 

The moment he entered the water he concentrated on his ability, his legs moving against the strong current. Ears pinned to the back of his skull, Byrce turned to face his friends. His nose touched the edge of the sheet and immediately another burst of mist filled the air, the young prince swimming backwards slowly as it slowly solidified. The further they went the more ice he had to use and the harder he had to swim, his concentration only breaking once when a sharp pain raced along his spine. Reaching the other side was both a blessing and a curse, Byrce couldn't find the energy to actually climb up to the rocky edge. Small puffs of mist were escaping his nose as he made it up, his legs immediately giving under his weight. He rose once more to shake of the water and ice-droplets that clung to his fur, golden eyes focusing on Zane and Thea. His ‘path’ held steady even if he'd been hesitant to continue downriver like they had. The sound of far-off heartbeats drew his wavering attention, a quiet reassuring rumble filling the air. He'd allow Thea to lead them to their secret spot after this, he could feel sleep at the edges of his vision.