"Mother!"

Gaia turned her head at the sound of her daughter's voice. The filly had just returned from gathering the necessities needed to get through the storm that was already baring down upon them. The sorrel mare lifted the bundle she carried and Gaia motioned for her to set them down near the back of the cave. Fawn was covered in snow and her muzzle was encrusted with small icicles. Gaia watched as Fawn moved past her, noticing the scars that littered the mare's hind legs. They looked good, less noticable than even a year prior. Gaia glanced back at her own scars, a bit bigger in proportion when compared to Fawn's.

The fire that had claimed their old home had left its mark upon both of them, and not just in the physical sense. It wasn't uncommon for Fawn to still awake in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and breathing heavily from the memories that plagued her. Gaia wasn't much better off but she had only lost a home, unlike Fawn who had lost her mother. The buckskin did her best to comfort the filly in times of distress, but she couldn't protect her from her own mind on nights like those. She herself could still remember the scent of burning hair and the thick smoke that seemed to suffocate them like a blanket. The screams of their fellow horses as they fought to escape their stalls. Gaia knew that herself and Fawn were some of the lucky ones, though scarred in more ways than one, they got out with their lives.

It was during the hard nights that the older mare made herself think of happier times. Her childhood for example. Gaia had grown up the only foal of her year in her small natal band. Her father, from what she could remember, wasn't an overly ambitious stallion and preferred to keep his herd small. Her mother was soft and gentle and never spoke a harsh word. In fact, the only time Gaia can remember her mother even raising her voice was when she would wander a little too far from the group. Her memories of them were a bit fuzzy now but they were enough. When she was about a year old, she wandered a bit too far during the night and before she knew it, she was lost. No amount of calls would lead her back to her family, and every direction she went seemed like the wrong one. It wasn't long before she wandered onto the ranch and the rest was history.

"I know that look. What are you thinking about now?" the familiar voice snapped the older mare out of her thoughts.

"Just memories. How was the gathering? Looks like it's getting worse out there instead of better," Gaia nudged some of the food they had gathered prior to the foul weather towards the young mare and watched as she began to nibble on the dried grasses.

"It is. Getting worse that is, and we have a foot or so of snow on the ground already. I have feeling we aren't going to be leaving home for a while."

"Well we have enough gathered to get us through at least a few days. We will just have to pray that this storm passes over soon."

Gaia watched as Fawn made her way back towards the front of the cave, the entrance having been moved in a few feet by the snow that had blown in and taken up residence. She turned and made to stand beside the young mare, staring out at the whirlwind of white cold.

"Spring cannot come soon enough."

Sorry, I fell asleep unintentionally early last night. But on another note, Teo has art now :)

@si, if this is your rustiness, I'm in trouble XD

Teo | 7 Years Old | Stallion | 18H | M: Yuka

As the equine in front of him seemed to fail to come up with words to his questions, Teo only smiled faintly, realizing that answering a bunch of questions was not what she needed to exert her energy towards at the moment. He watched as the smaller mare painfully pulled herself up out of the snow on trembling legs. He reached out his broad muzzle gently touching her frozen pelt to help steady her. Even doing so, he made sure to keep his body planted at a reasonable distance, as to not appear pushy towards her. When she appeared as though she could hold herself, as least for a few moments, he lifted his cranium and breathed in for the scent of the abandoned den he had come from. Everything before them was white as the snow blew in all directions in the wind, obscuring nearly all visibility. “Come this way.” He stated before taking a few, slow steps forward as to not allow himself to disappear from her sight. He stayed relatively close, ready to offer some stability for the mare if she needed it. Thankfully, the cave was not all that far so he felt rather confident she could make it.

.

The entire time he was leading this mare back to his temporary storm shelter, his heart pounded deep within his chest and his gut felt as though it was in knots. In his life, he had made many promises that in the end, he wasn't able to keep, but one he was insistent on not breaking was his promise to never find himself in such situations as he was in with others. He had already proven that he was incapable of protecting or helping anyone, so how on earth did he find himself here with this mare? A deep sigh released from his nostrils as the black opening of the cave became visible and he released those thought for the time being. "It's not that much farther." He reassured the mare as he kept pushing through the wind, trying to use his frame as a sheild for her as best he could. As they broke the seal of the cave entrance, finding themselves under the protection of the rocks from the wind and snow, Teo let another smile take over his features.

The following morning Gaia was pleased to find the storm had stopped, for the time being at least. It was considerably warmer than the previous day which gave her hope that spring was in fact on its way. She noticed Fawn still sleeping a few feet away and decided she better let her rest; although she would never admit it, Gaia knew going out in the storm had worn the young mare out. The buckskin stood, shook the few dry blades of grass and pieces of moss from her coat, and made her way to the entrance of the cave. With a quick glance back at where her daughter resided, she soon made her way out into the cold, white wonderland.

It always amazed her how the landscape here was so easily and dramatically changed with the turning of the seasons. Right now this valley was covered in a thick blanket of glistening white powder, but in just a few weeks time it would be a verdent green. The naked trees would soon be clothed in rustling green leaves, and hopefully, in later months to follow, fruit. Gaia looked forward to the day that she would be able to sink her teeth into a crisp apple or find a patch of ripe, plump blackberries. She closed her eyes in anticipation and contentment before a brisk wind pulled her back into reality. Water. She needed a drink after avoiding going outside yesterday and while she could munch on the snow, she knew of a creek not too far from the cave where she resided. So with that thought in mind, she made her way onward through the trees.

The snow crunching underhoof would have given her away to any unsuspecting animals currently out and about in the valley, but Gaia wasn't too worried. There were few predators here, and even those that were here weren't likely to challenge an adult equine unless they were truly desperate. Still, Gaia made sure to not let herself get too distracted or unawares. When she reached the creek she did a quick glance about before puncturing the ice with a dark hoof and lowering her head to the crisp, cool waters of the stream. It hadn't been a minute before she heard ice breaking a little further down from her. She lifted her head, droplets of water dripping down her muzzle, and glanced to where she had heard the noise. Sure enough, there was another horse not too far away on the opposite side of the creek; close enough for her to see they were on the taller side but far enough that she couldn't quite tell if it was a mare or stallion. She doubted the horse even knew she was here. Unique coat, she thought before lowering her head again and quenching the rest of her thirst.

When she looked up again, the individual was still there. She went to turn to leave but second guessed. Should she say hello? Should she not? Winter was hard on everyone and she was sure she hadn't seen this horse around, but then again she didn't tend to stray far from their home. Maybe they could use some help? It went wholly against Gaia's nature to ever turn down a stray or someone in need. Best just to check and make sure, and with that she turned and picked her way closer to the stranger. She was sure the crunching of the snow would give her presence away before she got too close but she still decided to move slowly as to not startle them. Once she was close enough, she gave a small smile. "Hello. How're you?"

Gaia watched as the young mare made her way towards them. The poor thing was skin and bones, Obviously not from around here. At least during the winter season. The buckskin watched as the silver mare slowly picked her way to the creek but couldn't help the small snort of laughter that escaped when she watched the filly get her tongue stuck. She then turned her attention back to the stallion.

"I very well should hope so. My daughter and I have lived here for the last few years," she gave the male a smile and gently flicked her tail against her flanks. "But we are well. Thank you for asking." Gaia turned her attention back to the filly, a frown coming over her features at the state of her. She moved closer to the filly not wanting to startle her; poor thing looked like a frightened rabbit and Gaia figured she might bolt like one given the chance.

While vastly different in appearance, she couldn't help but draw comparisons to Fawn. The mare was about the same height but was in no way in the same condition. Her daughter had learned, just as she had, that winter was no time for mistakes to be made. Preparation was your best friend when it came to the harsh cold and this filly didn't look as if she had had a good meal in weeks.

"Miss, are you okay? Pardon my curiosity but you don't seem like you're from around here. Do have family nearby? Or a herd per chance?" She glanced back at the stud, but then turned her attention back to the filly. She was awaiting an answer when a familiar voice hit her slim audits.

"Mother?" Gaia's head swiveled and she caught sight of the sorrel filly standing not too far from them. She had a questioning look on her features but when she deemed there was no danger she moved forward. She made her way to stand beside her mother, her coat barely brushing against the buckskin's. Her fiery red coat was a stark change to the white landscape that surrounded them, and Gaia was glad of the comfort it brought. "Who's your company?"

Gaia went to speak but then realized she had not asked either horse's name. She shook her head before releasing a light chuckle. "I am afraid that I am as curious as you are my dear," she turned from the mare to the stallion once more. "Pray tell, what are your names?"