Nescient [o]

[Ehetere]

Snow. Rocks. Trees. More snow, always more snow.

The jet black mare heaved a heavy sigh, breath misting in the still chill air. The sky was brittle like glass, and more cold weather threatened, even late snowfall. Karkaloo had seen enough of the stuff to be sick at the sight of it, and despite the warmer change in the weather it still seemed determined to keep its grip on the mountains for as long as possible. Amongst the high drifts that edged the worn path, her rump seemed to be missing as it blended in with the so-detested white stuff. From a distance it would have looked very odd and almost comical: coal black horse with a large chunk missing from the rear.

Onward she walked, unaware of where she was going really and completely uncaring of the obvious prints she was leaving in her wake. Sense was not a trait that ran in the family, and certainly not wisdom. Intelligence had not blessed the irritable mare either, which was possibly why she was currently ambling down the man’s track towards Dead Horse Hut. Really, it was a miracle she’d survived the winter without a stallion to find her food, but the strange weather of rain melting snow had kept her relatively well fed throughout.

Goodness knows what possessed her to stop at the hut, long since deserted but still harbouring the lingering scent of man and his cattle. The men of course wouldn’t be able to return until the rivers and snows receded, but the fact that they might be there never crossed her mind one way or another. The ground here was free of the dreadful white blanket, and the first few shoots of snowgrass were beginning to replace white with green. They were far from good grazing yet, so she instead opted to munch absently at a dull looking shrub, barely beginning to revitalise its leaves after no doubt being buried for the winter months.

[Tiggs]

OOC: Yeahyeah, I know, two-mare-rule. But he’s my only unrelated one left! And c’mon, he’s sexy (eb)...

A somewhat frequent visitor to the hut over winter, Talgarno knew that as soon as the snow became passable, the men would be back here with their tame horses and cattle and his curiosity would have to be put on hold for another year. This was perhaps his last chance to see the alien structures up close, and try and make sense of its queer allure.

A stallion past his prime, Talgarno was still in good shape for an older stallion. His knees has a distinct click, but his gait was sure and he had a lot of bulk despite the winter months. His dark coat was shaggy, but it kept him warm and that was what mattered.

His mares he had left down in the Gap, knowing they would be safe for a time while he indulged himself. He could not explain the odd hold the hut had over him, but he was sure that if he spent enough time mulling it over, the answer would come to him. Today it seemed that there was something here to distract him.

The scent and tracks of a mare was thick here, and the stallion picked up his pace, black tail streaming and white-stockinged feet kicking up old snow. With a confidence that came with age and wisdom, the stallion practically burst into the hut’s clearing, head tossing as he looked around for the mare.

She stood out like a crow in a flock of doves, black pelt with a white rump. The proud stallion greeted her with a nicker, and pawed at the ground, digging a deep furrow in the snow and into the tired earth underneath. “Good day to you, stranger. What brings you to the man’s hut?” Perhaps she too felt its odd pull and was intrigued by the men and their ways. Whatever her reasons, she was a decent-looking mare and Talgarno could be rather typical of stallions when the mood suited him.