Dawn was on the point of breaking when they approached the river—a stream, actually; they could see where it branched off from the main body of the river a little way up. The shallows near the banks were still frozen, but water was running in the middle of the stream. By the time they reached it, the first rays of the sun touched and gilded the surface of the water.
The Coming of the Bear by Lensey Namioka
Middle Grade Carousel 