Come back to me, [Tham]

[Corowa]

Thambaroo’s shoulder touched her flank, and Mullara leapt sharply to the side. Then he was galloping alongside her, leading the mare away from the sheer high edge of the tor. The beating snow stung her hide, and to the east, the sky lightened to grey. Down one steep slope, the snow lay in deep drifts and while the stallion plunged downwards into the darkness, the mare dropped back to a canter. Suddenly Thambaroo pulled up, for there seemed something in the snow, something terribly important. Mullara propped and swung around, neighing excitedly as the shadowy mass became Yaraan.

Ears flickering uncertainly, Mullara moved closer to Thambaroo and nosed the pale heap at her feet. Nervously, she nudged the colt harder, urging him to stand. Blinking sleepily, Yaraan stirred with a frightened snort. Stretching his forelegs out in front of him, the colt stood on trembling legs, while the mare sheltered him from those biting cold winds. With low, grunting whinnies, Mullara turned and nuzzled him while he drank. When she licked him clean, the colt fussed and the mare quietened him with a hard nip.

“You are no silver brumby to run with the winds you foolish colt. I thought I’d lost you to the blizzard forever. You are of flesh and blood Yaraan, not some ghost to flit through the snow.” Yaraan stood looking sullen, his ears back and the whites showed in his eyes. Yet when Mullara turned to Thambaroo, the colt stuck close to her side. “Should we return to the Hidden Flat?” the mare asked, “Dawn seems not far off. We could shelter in the lower country of the Bogong, Yaraan knows so little of the bush, and I have much to teach him if he is to be as wise as those silver brumbies he is so fond of.”

[yaruka]

“Should we return to the Hidden Flat?” the mare asked, “Dawn seems not far off. We could shelter in the lower country of the Bogong, Yaraan knows so little of the bush, and I have much to teach him if he is to be as wise as those silver brumbies he is so fond of,". Thambaroo nodded thoughtfully. "I think it would be wise to begin our son's lessons in the ways of the bush now, when it is unnaturally quiet. Later, when he is less foolish, we will bring him back here to see the world as it is normally." Glancing precursorly about his surroundings, he was sure no sane creature would be out to threaten them in such a storm, he moved off, down to lower country. As the three horses made their way down, clinging to the rockface when possible, the wind abated, softening to a lighter gale. Snow still swirled about them, though this did not bother Thambaroo in the slightest. For so many years it had been his element, winter after winter he had braved the snows to stay in the mountains as long as possible, only moving to lower ground when absolutely necessary. He had enjoyed the challenge, the thrill of racing the blizzard when at last it came. Living on his own he had had nothing else to live for. This year it had been different, for the first time in 5 seasons. This year he had a family to care for, so, instead of lingering in the snow as he longed to in someways, he moved swiftly through the storm to more sheltered country for his mate and son. Finally they reached a tiny, sheltered valley. No place to make a home, but enough for now.

[Corowa]

Yaraan clung close to her side, stumbled on through the deep drifts of snow, barely able to stand in the buffeting winds. The beating, cold snow stung his eyes, and the clamour of the wind made him tremble. Sweating with fear, he followed his mother, both of them following this pale streak of a stallion who half-faded into the grey light of a piccaninny dawn.

Thambaroo led them down into a steep rocky gorge. Picking their way carefully down the winding track, Mullara urged Yaraan on with gentle whickers. For towards the mouth of the narrow gully, there was a sheltering line of snowgums, thick bush, where the wind would not fill their ears or the snow sting their hides. Here the wind softened, and in the warmness of the gully, the snow fell only lightly. On shaking legs, Yaraan walked slowly after Mullara, the mare stopping only to let him drink. The milk warmed him, gave him the strength to reach those shadowy snowgums, this place of warmth and shelter.

Dropping to the springy bed of snowgrass, Yaraan stretched his forelegs out and sighed deeply. Gently, Mullara dropped her nose down and sniffed him, as if to reassure herself the colt was still there. Slowly, his breathing deepened, and the terrible pounding of his heart steadied. Filled with sudden fierce affection for her creamy son, Mullara lay down beside him, curled her warm body lovingly around his. Nickering softly to her mate, the mare closed her eyes and slept.

OOC: I reckon we should end it there. Once some of my other threads are under control, I’ll make a post for the spring with them. That way they’ll be further down near the Bogong, with more of a chance of other brumbies running into them.

[yaruka]

OOC: ok, fine with me. Let me know when you're ready for another thread