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Joined: Feb 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 380 Location: In Front of My Computer, Duh.
[T]he Deep Freeze « Thread Started on Oct 28, 2009, 7:11pm »
He knew in the mountains the weather would change fast, and he had kept every sense alert for storms on the horizon. But one storm he had scented was not like others. It was fast, too fast, faster than any storm he had seen or heard of before. Usually, he enjoyed storms, the thrill of lightning and danger, of the chase and of being chased, defeating a massive adversary. But this one could not be beaten, no matter how fast he would have raced to get to the mountain meadow and to the safety of the thick pines.
He had been on the base of the mountain, scouting for winter food sources when he first scented it. It smelled a bit different...somehow. He turned back to the trail he had taken, a long, thin thread that was barely visible and led around and up the mountain. He could not scale it any faster than a slow trot for the loose shale underfoot kept threatening to sweep him off his feet, and he was halfway up the mountain when the storm struck.
It was like nothing else he had ever experienced, the driving, pounding gales he bent his head into to try to make some leeway, the tiny, sharp grains of snow that found their way into his eyes, ears, and thick winter coat. In a few moments he could barely see through his thick eyelashes meant to keep out the sands of desert storms. That was his one great asset; the grains of snow were so much like sand that his adaptations to desert life worked well for the snow, and he was able to see somewhat better than a normal horse would.
But he was still lost on a perilous trail he could barely see, on the windward side of the mountain where the tall, thin trees provided little shelter. He could either go up, higher on the mountain where the wind grew stronger at each step, but which drew him closer to his destination, or down the mountain to seek shelter. He went back, and waited it out between a huge deadfall and a slab of rock cast down from the mountain hundreds of years ago, and waited for the wind to stop howling its rage against the small shelter he had taken.
The next morning, he went out to find drifts up to his chest, powdery and light. It would be easy going, he thought, but the sun was warm on his back, and it would take all day to go back, picking his way up a trail he could not see, and the upper layer was already beginning to melt. Soon it would freeze.
By the evening, he was pushing hard against his friend and the mountainside, his breath tearing his throat and burning his lungs with each gasp as the temperature had plummeted with the sun behind the hillside. The mountain trail he had so often climbed with ease in the autumn had changed with the late autumn rains, and then the deep winter snow that threatened to drown him in drifts like the waves of a great ocean, beating down his efforts. His hooves plunged through the thick, icy crust to the powdery fluff underneath. Each stride was a rearing plunge, his long legs helping him little as the snow reached his chest. Soon, blood stained the chips of crust where he passed, the icy crust scraping at his hide until he bled.
Finally, he reached the meadow he called home. The wind had swept most of the snow low, only up to his knees, and although there was a crust it was thin and brittle, resisting his long legs but little. Where the shadow of the rocky mountainside above him had touched the valley, there was no crust, just the powdery fluff of the cold, fresh-fallen snow. He fell to his knees and rolled, drying his pelt and soothing the aches of his climb. He had taken to the mountains when he first arrived, physically adapting quickly to the more demanding environment.
But the winters were not something he knew about. He had lived mostly in the hills or the bachelor herd, both places where winters were mild and fairly easy to live through. He did not know how to move through heavy snows, or how to sense the rapidly approaching storms. It concerned him. He had always learned quickly, but he also knew that here, learning as you go would be gambling with your life, and the life of those around you. Have to ask Zuka about it. Where is she? He looked about, his breath rising like a smoky plume about his face.
"Oh, look it's a squirr-OMG ITS A SQUIRREL! LET ME AT IT! LET ME REND IT! I HATE SQUIRRELS!" - Anko
Joined: Mar 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 269 Location: A world of dark magic...
Re: [T]he Deep Freeze « Reply #1 on Oct 29, 2009, 3:43am »
I'm standing on the bridge I'm waiting in the dark I thought that you'd be here by now There's nothing but the rain No footsteps on the ground I'm listening but there's no sound
She was far more appropriately built for the cold, was the evening breeze. Her white spotted coat made hiding in a snowfall easier than it would for some, despite the dark splashes of colour on her hide. She was small, which meant less body heat to circulate, and solid boned, which meant her bones weren't likely to shudder and freeze with the first break of the cold season. She'd been raised in a place where the snow fell badly every year. But still, while Shizuka would lie down and roll off a cliff before she complained about anything, it didn't change the fact that she absolutely despised cold weather. Because she was small, it actually did eat at her, sapping her body heat more easily than most and causing the nagging hunger pangs that she knew would get more and more prevalent as winter wore on.
Or maybe it was the little one.
Shizuka's nostril curled slightly, twitching as a cold, snowy draught whispered through the small, sheltered plateau she had searched for and found, like any responsible lead mare, while Sterling had been gone. Blast him, she thought furiously as she once again paced the length of the shelter where the plateau ended and the snow drifts began, she'd warned him that the first snow storm was in the air around this time, and he'd still gone out. Or off; she hadn't found this little niche that she and Xia now shared before he'd run off. But had he listened? No, of course not, typical godforsaken male.
Males. You couldn't live without them, but you couldn't hoof them in the head either.
And now, once the first snow storm had rolled in and she'd gotten herself and Xia safely undercover, he'd left her with the most troublesome burden of worrying about his typical male ass. Even Lady Kikuta had worried with her, though her dual personality tended to be stuck up enough to not view Sterling in the most posititive light, not all the time. He'd had his moments, yes, but her dual personality had little patience, being a typical haughty, highly intelligent goddess leader that she was. So it said something when Lady Kikuta was worrying with Shizuka.
And it was far from healthy, worrying one's self when there was already the stress of winter upon you. Especially when you were with foal, no matter how early it might be. And it wasn't that early, really; it was just that Shizuka's body had only decided in the last couple of days to begin showing the tell tale roundness. And his foal, too, of course; her dual personality might have little patience for the stallion, but in all sense of the word, he was her mate, and really, just Shizuka was sincerely fond of him, right down to his bumbling moments.
And here he was, worrying her.
And she had every intention of beating his ass up when he returned. If he wasn't already so beat up that there was no point to it.
And keeping poor Xia up too. Shizuka felt slightly guilty for being so restless, even if she could blame it on the snowstorm or the foal. Xia was a saint at the best of times, she reflected, bearing Shizuka's restless pacing, her getting up and disturbing the mare pressed against her back for warmth at random intervals throughout the night, her huffing and sighing. She was frankly astonished the roan filly hadn't told her to can it and relax, or even stalk out of the plateau. Of course, she doubted Xia would do that, the roan was too similarly bred to Shizuka to be foolish enough to go out in a snowstorm.
The storm had ended now, though, and Shizuka was on her feet again, head high as she looked out over the snowy landscape. Despite the slight roundness of her stomach and the occasional panting from her exertions, anyone watching the mare closely would have clearly seen the tenseness of worry, though it was slightly quelled by the sheer aura radiating off the paint mare that promised absolute punishment in every way once her victim was in her sights.
Shizuka exhaled, the air leaving her in a snowy plume that reminded her of the wind she was named for, the steam rising off rocks in the early evening and blowing away on the summer breeze. She closed her eyes, before opening them as the smoky haze cleared, only to narrow those deep green orbs when the very targe-er, stallion she'd been musing on appeared. Over the crest, into the meadow...
Hoof clattered like flint on rock as the mare moved with more swiftness and finesse than should be possible for someone who was short and pregnant, but move Shizuka did, her hooves leaving the ground as she practically cleared the snowbank from a standstill, ploughing through the snow and avoiding the harder, sharper bits with the ease of experience, wasting no time in throwing her weight into Sterling's side to send the stallion tumbling back in the snow. Or close to it, anyway, he was still a fair bit bigger than her.
"I told you, didn't I? Didn't I?" she snapped, stamping one dainty, feathered hoof into the snow, easily relying on irritation with him and her own mood as a means of masking how worried she'd been. Scolding was so much easier than fussing, after all. Her tail swished irritably, catching his flank and the snow that stood to her lower whither, and green eyes narrowed in a highly annoyed fashion at the stallion who was her lead and subsequently, her mate. He'd rolled, but she could see where the blood had dried and where it still bled, and she sniffed at a graze against his whither before snorting and lifting her head again, fixing him with a look reminiscent of the mother intent on making the colt cringe.
"You're incredibly lucky that this was the worst of your worries, you fool. What would you have done if it had been colder, yeah? It's just a little hard to protect a herd when you're frozen like an icicle, you realise?"
It's a damn cold night Trying to figure out this life But won't you take me by the hand Take me somewhere new I don't know who you are But I...I'm with you.
Joined: Feb 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 380 Location: In Front of My Computer, Duh.
Re: [T]he Deep Freeze « Reply #2 on Oct 29, 2009, 9:06am »
Sterling was staggered by the blow his lead had given him, almost tumbling into the snow again. He snorted as stiff muscles resisted the sudden movement with pain, and he stood for a moment with legs splayed in all directions like a colt still wet from his mother’s womb, trying valiantly to stand against gravity. Slowly, very slowly, he put his body back to rights as his mare chastised him. More like a verbal beating, quick and to the point. Know it all.
But he knew she was right; a frozen horse was no use to anyone but the wolves. “Curiosity killed the cat.” Well, it should be “killed the horse”. Too many times he had wandered off on a whim to find himself in trouble, with no one to get him out but himself. He had always been OK with the brushes with danger before, but now it irked him to have nearly died, on his own land with a family waiting for him just over the rise. Stupid responsibility, weighing me down like that. Yeah, right, sure. Sarcasm can stop now. You know you love it.
He knew Zuka would have his first foal, he could smell it, and see it now. He hated to leave her or Xia even for a short while, and he had nearly died when he did. Guilt bit at him harder than the soreness of his flesh and the pangs of hunger in his stomach. He could handle anything when he was alone; why couldn’t he even try going off alone without yearning to be back?
To defend himself against her attack would be pointless. Mares knew every chink in the armor, especially when it came to words, and especially this mare. To apologize would be to open himself to further attacks. But he’d risk it. He met her firy gaze, withering none under her anger and flexing a hind hoof as he straightened up against protesting muscles and joints. I am sorry I worried you. I should have been back. I would have if the trail was more stable, but the last freeze must have shaken it loose. Are you and Xia okay? Worry clawed at him, redoubled since his climb.
The wind played with is forelock, but seemed much more fierce where the hide was gone, gnawing and biting at the torn skin like an animal. He hated to leave his herd at all, and he knew that this would be the last gamble he would make. He had learned the hard way like he learned everything else, from where to find food to how to fight. Leading a herd was no different. It helped to have a partner who knew most of what he needed to know. All he needed to do was ask. Easy……not. He stretched his neck, touching her on the shoulder as a sign of peace, his eyes quiet, yet he knew she could read him like a book. He met her gaze once more. You know how to deal with winter weather in a harsh climate. Teach me. He awaited a further attack, his breathing almost normal. Hunger and exhaustion began their steady pull on him as he stood. A muscle in his hind leg quivered, and he shifted his stance lest the leg give way. A trickle of blood froze in its path down his leg, contrasting sharply with his woolly winter coat that was almost white, providing good camouflage in the snow.
Joined: Mar 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 517 Location: Under a pile of homework
Re: [T]he Deep Freeze « Reply #3 on Nov 1, 2009, 5:16am »
Blinking away the tiny crystals of ice and snow that frosted her eyelashes, the small and dainty mare surveyed her surroundings of muted white. All around her snow was falling in soft, powdery curtains, and the sun, its glow dampened by the heavy clouds, cast a deep light over the mountain that gave the slope an eerie appearance. Today, her world was muffled white and grey, like a giant pillow had attacked and clung to everything in sight.
But later that day Xia He noticed the change, noticed the sudden menacing brunt of the wind as it whined outside the cave, and immediately flicked her eyes to her geisha-hime, who looked to be bearing the cold weather absolutely fine on her own. Built small and compact like herself, the hardiness of the Steppes ponies was ideally suited to the sides of the mountain. With her full winter coat, she was perfectly happy to bear the cold weatherfor long periods of time. In fact, she loved it. Her only problem was the fact that unlike Sterling and Shizuka-hime, she stood out like a beacon thanks to her strawberry roan colouring. But for all her name was worth, the summer lotus stood entertaining herself watching her breath appear in puffs of condensation as the world trickled by with alarming...slowness.
Scratching an itch on a hind fetlock with her teeth, she checked her surroundings once more. She knew that whilst with foal, the little geisha would be more than capable of taking are of herself should an enemy come looking. But Xia liked to be prepared, and as she looked out with narrowed eyes, she found herself rather hypnotised by the slowly falling flakes of snow, watching as each one settled into the ground mere feet in front of her, and melt into the rest of the snow and continue to amass.
Next to her, she could sense worry and annoyance rolling off her fellow bred Oriental in waves. Sterling was still out, and Xia knew that like her, Shizuka was keeping one eye on the skies, monitoring the progress of the storm. She knew that in such an environment, the bulk of the storm would bear down on them in mere minutes, and as she watched the time pass in flakes of snow, the blizzard intensified and she could hear Shizuka's little huffs and sighs from the other mare's corner as she waited restlessly for their lead to return. She could almost imagine the lecture the stallion would be subjected to upon his return. The thought made her ear flop as she tilted her head in amusement.
Yawning widely to show her opinion of the speed the world was moving at, she shifted her feet and lifted a feathered hind fetlock and flexed it gently to dislodge an annoying peice of cold mush from the back of her hoof. The daring offender had been blown in in a particularly violent draft, and the little roan mare had borne it whilst Shizuka stood next to her, not wanting to disturb the already anxious lead. She found herself thinking about the foal, pondering how the world would change with another member in the herd. What fun it would be to see a gangly-legged youngster frolicking in the snow built up around the mouth of the cave. If the foal's mother was feeling lenient Xia would probably join in herself.
Moving her stiff neck to wake up her muscles, she rested her muzzle gently on Shizuka's rump so she could peer over the other mare's opposite shoulder to see what was happening on that side of their panorama. She sensed the arrival of another and just had the chance to lift her head from the geisha's rump before Shizuka leapt over the snow drafts towards the blurry grey shadow of Sterling returning. Nickering quietly in greeting, more to herself to acknowledge his return than any real greeting, as it turned out, as Xia saw the poor stallion barrelled over by an unhappy looking Zuka. Swishing her tail in a relaxed manner, she moved herself into gear to do some damage control, lifting herself gently over snow banks before feeling the strange tingly sensation as the snow bit into her legs, sometimes reaching as high as her belly.
Seeing Sterling right himself, she nickered in greeting again, and moved herself to stand in next to both of them, ignoring the no-doubt in-motion confrontation going on. Poking his shoulder with her cod muzzle, she used the familiar affectionate action to get a better look at the blood spots dotting his coat, and snorting when she knew that they werent particularly serious. She stepped back to keep an eye on the little geisha, having, in her own mind, taken responsibility for the geisha-hime's care whilst with foal.
She kept back out of the way whilst Shizuka had her turn, as was the right of the lead mare, and nodded in sympathy for both parties, still watching the snow settle onto the ground. Her ears flicked to attention once at the mention of her name, but knew that Shizuka probably wasnt finished with her tirade. She stood by the other mare's side, lending warmth to keep her at a reasonable temperature, althought Xia would really have preferred it if she kept herself warm and out of the wind. The little steppe mare liked to feel responsible for something, and she took her not-quite-serious duty very seriously. She cared about her lead and her stallion and sometimes despaired at their antics.
Lowering her head to increase blood flow to her muzzle, feeling numb with cold, she once again blinked violently to rid herself of the snowflakes affixing themselves to her eyelashes. She saw the never-ending fall of the snow and looked up at the soft, heavy clouds and thought again that she loved winter. Provided she was out of the damn wind.
note: YAY. we lives. anyway. Xia's return to the world of the living with ramblings on...SNOW. creative, eh? *hides under desk*
"Oh, look it's a squirr-OMG ITS A SQUIRREL! LET ME AT IT! LET ME REND IT! I HATE SQUIRRELS!" - Anko
Joined: Mar 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 269 Location: A world of dark magic...
Re: [T]he Deep Freeze « Reply #4 on Nov 4, 2009, 2:49am »
The lead mare watched with a hint of relish as her stallion all but faceplanted into the snow, perversely satisfied that he was forced to maintain his dignity in the force of her wrath. Even if he didn't entirely quail at her blazing look, she'd partly succeeded in shaming him. And while that was partly her intention, the other part was a hint of desire in the stocky, pint-sized but definitely alpha mare to keep him on his toes and remind him of where they stood with each other, in rank, in respect and in equality of power.
That, and she'd been taught since she was a young filly that size meant nothing, and holding one's own standing was paramount in importance. Even if the means of doing so were unconventional, but then, Shizuka had never been conventional. She was named after the evening breeze for a reason, after all. If establishing one's standing required playing the part of a clown-painted freight train, then she'd damn well play that part well, pregnant or not. If it was possible, the pregnancy had probably only served to fire her up more so, just to add impact behind both the physical aggression and the ten foot wide personality.
"So you damn well should be sorry; you should know far better even without a warning," she snapped in response to his apology, clearly not ready to soften at a mere apology. Her dark green eyes were still fierce as they roved over his frame, but aside from one last stamp of her feet, it appeared that for the most part, the little paint lead mare had decided to conserve her energy for the moment, as if continuing in her tirade any more was a waste of reserves that she would need with her pregnancy and the upcoming winter. Which was probably partly true, but even if she didn't entirely believe it, Sterling seemed truly contrite, and it was best to leave the victim of your tirade or lecture at that. Anything beyond reducing them to that only bred irritation and rebellion, which in the long run, did nothing but completely undo the initial endeavour towards shaming them into remembering what they'd done wrong.
His show of meekness in touching her shoulder probably did a little more than the verbal apology did, and though she did not respond with loving nuzzles and what have you in response like some silly, lovestruck wenches would, Shizuka allowed it, huffing softly and letting the tension leave her frame enough for it to stop shaking in anger like it had been, and even as her teeth found his whither to sink into, the nip was light, more a caress than an actual attack before she shifted and allowed Xia her greeting. She wasn't blind to the roan filly's watchful eye, and though she had no doubt it would drive her insane in the coming months, there was a distinct sense of peace in the younger mare's countenance that Shizuka knew would probably be a balm in several ways as the months progressed.
That aside, Xia was, for all her shyness, a surprisingly honest, tactful female. Even now, in the simple way she accorded her lead respect by letting her finish having her say to their stallion before stepping forward, and it probably served in keeping Shizuka peaceful even as her dark eyes fixed on Sterling again at his request, the glint in them a clear sign that she was itching to begin another tirade filled with sarcasm and biting, if witty, recrimination. But the itch stayed just that, a glint in her eyes, before Shizuka huffed and stepped back as if to go back to the sheltered plateau, only to shake her body to clear the snow around her so she could jump up and over the banks easily.
Whatever she was intending by doing so was successful, as the mare's snow-practiced hooves found harder ground, the only sign of the effect her pregnancy was having on her fitness and grace the way she huffed slightly as she righted herself, flicking her tail over her rounding belly lightly before putting her nose to the ground and sniffing, trekking about the harder snow that looked as deceptively soft and sinkable as the rest of the meadow, yet clearly was not for no apparent reason. Shizuka had clear intentions in her own mind, though; she knew their place of residence like the back of her hoof, and knew she was on a small incline that likely still held green underneath the snow and ice.
She also knew that there were other places to find food, such as down through the trees in that pretty clearing where the creek ran into a pool, the same creek she believed came from the fabled Apollo's Guard, so clear and sweet was the water. She knew that somewhere in the snow, the tart sweet-ice fruits that had fallen off the trees were probably under the snow, frozen by the snowstorm and providing a means of sustenance. It was exactly like the ones of her old home, but as such, she also knew that eating them now, while tempting, would be foolish. For the others, and for herself and the foal. No, those were for when the winter was harshest, when even the grass had died.
One ear, the black one, twitched as something crunched under her hooves, before both black ear and white ear flickered, perking forward before flickering back in apparent thought, only to flicker forward again before she began to paw determinedly at the ground. The reasoning behind it became clear after several minutes of pawing, as grass and tough, hardy salt and bacon shrubs began to appear in stark contrast to the white. When they became more visible, Shizuka paused, before lifting her head and nodding with a satisfied air.
"Xia," she called in a honey sweet tone, dark green eyes sparkling, "You know what to do, I'm sure." The twinkling green eyes turned to Sterling, partly satisfied, partly enquiring, partly challenging as she added, "And you watched and listened, I'm sure. Lesson over for today; you're in no fit state to learn anything else other than what to see and listen for."
Her nose twitched slightly, as if in amusement before she added, "Just in case you decide to get lost again, and all that."
Joined: Feb 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 380 Location: In Front of My Computer, Duh.
Re: [T]he Deep Freeze « Reply #5 on Nov 7, 2009, 6:30pm »
He was right; another attack did come. Inwardly he flinched as his lead fumed, but he didn’t want to show it lest it add fuel to her fires. But he could tell she was fading a little. He could wait it out if he had to. He snuffed a little at Xia, then at some of the snow about his legs. Already he was becoming a bit stronger from just standing around, although he would be stiff and sore for a while. Everything one does has a consequence, everything has a price and you had better be able to pay. On the trek back from his foolish errand he had paid, but he had come out in worse shape than when he left. Point taken; don’t mess with snowstorms on the mountainside unless you want to freeze some parts of your anatomy.
His mind had wandered back as Zuka nipped him, and his back shrank down from that contact violently of its own accord, sheer reaction that he had no control over. His breath came in a gasp that caught and made some sort of weird noise as it halted in his throat. He twitched his ears in embarrassment at his habit, and glanced at Xia before following Zuka up the incline.
He followed in her hoof prints dotting the snow, it being the easiest way, and soon he felt some unevenness under his hooves and a crunching. He saw Zuka give some sign of satisfaction and watched as she pawed violently at the ground as if preparing to roll. It puzzled him for a short while as his still-foggy brain failed to process the fact that she was looking for something until he saw the growth beneath her hooves.
He nodded quietly at her words, contemplating the bush near her hooves. He stretched his neck forward slightly to sniff. He’d seen those before, tasted them a bit, but he had not relied on them as food. It was not something he knew to be a good food; as a wanderer he’d always walked the high ridges or the aspen thickets to browse and graze at will during the winter months, the snow being partly cleared away on the ridges to reveal dried grasses that were good feed. Sometimes the apple trees still had frozen fruits on them, and he would crack them with his teeth and enjoy the frosty mush they contained. But shrubs had not been included.
He moved to his own area and felt something under his hooves, although the snow had balled up and packed away inside his feet and it was difficult to find a good area. He then sent up a cloud of snow with zeal, enjoying the fact that it was light and fluffy and easy to move. Soon he unearthed a good area containing some plants and grass that was still green near the base, which he cropped quickly before moving to the shrubs and low bushes. His nose wrinkled a bit at one nostril like it did when he was uncertain or anxious about something, but this time it was because of the bitter taste of the woody shoots. There was another plant that was even more bitter. He’d eaten worse things, such as tree bark but he didn’t have to like it. Certainly…unique flavors. It may take some getting used to.
OOC: Yes, raw, SNOW! You gotta problem wi' dat? Lol, I just grabbed a season and ran with it. I like snow.
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