[PRP] Ghost of solstace yet to come (Chane, Mahdi & Izefiah)

[one over three]

Cold, it seemed, was a fact of life that one simply had to get used to this time of the year. The nights lasted longer, the hunger pains were more frequent and any small amount of warmth seemed to flit away with the easy and fickleness of one of spring's butterflies. How the lone and lame grey stallion had still survived free of frostbite or attack was a question only answerable by sheer luck or the negligence of some higher power.

Chane had only recently woken from a night of terrifying dreams and left his small hiding hole to search for whatever meager breakfast he could find. To his surprise all of the snow around him was unbroken and pure. It must have snowed while he had been sleeping. Frankly, he was glad to have missed it.
 

[Kaitaia]

Izefiah hated the snow. He just simply hated it. It was too cold and too wet, and he hated it. His father hated it too, but at least he could fly over it. Auster flew much more in the winter than any other season. With Izefiah's thin flutter wings, he didn't have nearly the power that his father did. He had to walk through the drifts. Usually he chose just to stay home, but today he was travelling to see his mother and his other sister.

He trudged through the snow, head low to ward off the wind from blowing in his face. It wasn't working that well though.
 

[one over three]

Chane pushed aside the snow with his good hoof, looking for grass hidden beneath. The stringy, dry and frozen grass... Why couldn't winter at least offer up some sort of fare worth eating?

With the winds blowing as they were he found it hard to hear the stranger approaching. This was made worse by Izefiah's coincidental approach on Chane's blind side.

The grey wouldn't be aware of the other until he was nearly upon him.  

[Kaitaia]

Izefiah wasn't aware of the other stallion until he was upon him either. He had lifted his head to get his bearings, and there right in front of him was a skinny grey stallion with tangled hair. Izefiah blinked, startled. How hadn't he noticed there was someone else near?

He took a moment to look around now, to make sure there was no one else that he hadn't noticed. He seemed to be in the clear, so he turned his attention back to the grey spotted guy.

"Oh, hello. I didn't see you there."  

[one over three]

They grey stallion started at the voice. His ears flattened back and he retreated a few steps, scared that he could have let a stranger sneak up upon him so easily. Once he'd had a moment to calm down, though, he did sort of understand how the other could have made the same mistake, what with the blinding winds and all.

"Err... Sorry," he wasn't really sure what the other expected him to say.

The feint sound of bells could be heard in the distance.  

[Kaitaia]

The other stallion didn't have wings, but Izefiah didn't really care. He was starting to find that his father's beliefs and prejudices weren't so important to him after all. Company was nice, no matter who or what they were.

"It's okay," he said, giving the other a smile. The wind blew past his face, tossing his hair in his eyes. He frowned and moved so he was hopefully blocking most of it with his somewhat broad back.

"It's awful chilly out, isn't? Miserable weather."  

[one over three]

At first Chane had just thought he was in the other's way, but then the stranger started talking to him. Maybe he wanted something else but Chane couldn't fathom what that something might be. He couldn't agree more with what the stranger had to say though.

"It really is. It can be hard to believe that this is only the beginning..." as bad as it was, they were in for much, much worse. Chane had been on the verge of asking what brought the other this way, but stopped when he realized the mysterious jingling noise had been growing closer and closer all the while.

One ear remained oriented on the stranger, but the other turned toward the new noise. A noise he could only hope came from someone friendly.

The dark mare had wandered from her family that night out into the bitter cold. She hadn't done so out of any dislike, or disloyalty, it was only her nature. She had every intent on returning, and soon, but the the fear of remaining stagnant too long plagued her and pushed her to move.

Despite her dainty frame she pushed through the snow as if it was nothing to her. The wind blew a curtain of snow about her and made her hair and charms dance about. It was these charms which rang like bells as she pushed onward.  

[Kaitaia]

Izefiah, while quite intelligent, certainly wasn't the most observant of horses. He didn't seem to notice the sound of chiming bells, and just continued to give Chane a friendly smile.

His smile faded a little though, when he heard that this snow was only the beginning? He had really been hoping this was the worst of it. "Really...? This is my first winter..."  

[one over three]

Both of Chane's ears flicked back to the younger horse when he spoke.

"It is? Well... Yes. A few more months of this yet," he was large enough that it hadn't crossed Chane's mind that he might not be a yearling yet. His first winter? He could see it now. "Are you still with your family?"  

[Kaitaia]

Izefiah nodded with a sigh. "So far I am not enjoying it much," he muttered. This time he thought he heard something, and his ears swiveled around, trying to catch the sound again.

"Um, yes. I do. I live with my father and sister."  

[one over three]

Mahdi charged onward through the snow. She could hear voices ahead, but doubted their owners meant her harm. Ambushes, after all, were normally the art of silent attackers. Not noisy ones.

When they came into view she smiled, barely slowing her march as she approached them.

Chane seemed quite startled by the arrival of the musical and unseasonably cheerful mare. He'd become so used to spending his days alone. Now not only was he faced with one stranger out of the blue, but two! It was clear the grey stallion had no clue what to make of it.

 

[Kaitaia]

Izefiah was clearly just as surprised as the other stallion, but he turned to greet the lady. She was after all, an Angeni, and he had been taught to show them much respect.

"Hello, m'lady!" he called as she neared them, bowing his head politely.  

[one over three]

Chane, having never had any such ideas so much as suggested to him, looked all the more confused by Izefiah's gesture of respect toward the strange mare. The best reasoning he could muster was that the spider winged stallion was simply extra polite to mares.

Still. Worried that the younger stallion knew something he didn't he mimicked the gesture. Glancing back and forth between the two as he did so.

Maybe Izefiah knew something he didn't?



Mahdi was long used to mixed reactions to her arrival. Some seemed glad to see her, others not so much. These two seemed unusually polite.

She giggled gleefully and told them they didn't need to do that before greeting them and commenting on the beautiful blowing storm they were having that day. After a moment's consideration she added how it must be a terrible inconsonance for some of the smaller creatures. This aside, she introduced herself.  

[Kaitaia]

Izefiah found himself rather amused when Chane bowed his head as well. He was certain his father would get a kick out of seeing a ground stallion bow to a "superior" winged mare. Auster would be very amused indeed.

The black and white stallion listened as the mare spoke. Though he most certainly didn't share her feelings for the falling snow, he listened amicably. She was a lovely mare, the sort that his father thought highly of. She'd be a much more suitable match for him than Neela was... He shook his head at the thought and returned his attention to the mare, Mahdi, it seemed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mahdi," he said. "I'm Izefiah and my companion here is..." He paused, finding he didn't know the other stallion's name. What a bother, had he forgotten his manners and hadn't remembered to introduce himself? Auster would give him such a tongue lashing if he knew. Or maybe not. He was a wingless horse after all.