I had never received so much joy from being so close to another equine, like the joy I felt with the giant Shira next to me. Though it wasn’t enough to relieve my body from its incessant shivering, her warmth was welcomed providing me with a mobile shelter from the icy winds. She was like a warm sun against the ivory gloom of the peak and I did not pull away when she reached over, kindly sweeping her massive muzzle against my delicate neck. I peered up into the vixen’s face with a weary smile as she promised that our trek was nearly over.

As we continued our climb the snow grew deeper and deeper until I was wading through the knee high drifts. Shira seemed to have no trouble at all as her height protected her from the piling mounds of snow, but even at a modest fifteen hands I was struggling. I looked up apologetically into the vixen’s face at one point, knowing well that I was slowing us down but the large mare seemed not to care and waited patiently next to me, a sentiment that was worth a thousand words.

Through the howling of the squalls that passed us, I heard the call of another equine and I paused a moment in the mounds of snow as my eyes fought against the icy gusts to acquire the outline of a mare, not much bigger then myself bounding towards us with the grace that could only come from a creature accustomed to this terrain. As she drew closer I could see the smile she wore on her face, despite the gloomy weather and I offered her a look of irritated disbelief. There was hardly anything about this place even half-worth smiling about but I nodded curtly towards her, remembering my courtesies before pressing close to my giant companion again as we continued on through the blizzard.

Just as I was beginning to fear that my blood would turn to ice before we made it to our safe haven, a gaping maw opened up before us, tunneling back into the side of the mountain. By the time I had a moment to scrutinize the types of danger that could be lurking within the shadows of the deep cavern, Shira was ushering me inside with strong but gentle nudges. Hesitantly I stepped away from the giant mare and paced into the cave, far enough in to where the snow was only but a light dusting over the rocky floor. I peered back towards the opening to see Shira following the smiling mare from before, into the mouth of the cave and I turned to meet them as they drew closer. In the dull light of the cave I could no longer tell if the smaller vixen was still smiling but I had a stinking suspicious that she probably was.

Ice still clinging to the rose colored hairs of my thin coat, I filled in next to my burly companion seeking her warmth to defrost me. The delicate and barely noticeable extension of my pregnant belly bushed against the giant mare as I settled in beside her. It wasn’t much warmer inside the cavern but at least the wind was no longer able to reach us. “Th-thank you, Sh-Shira,” I shivered. “I am just gl-glad to be out of th-that hor-horrible weather.”

After a moment I remember the smiling mare who was also sharing our shelter with us, and I glance towards her my eyes tracing her outline in the low lighted cave. I offered her another nod, this one a bit less un-friendly than then one I had given her before. I could not help but notice she wasn’t nearly as big as Shira and I began to wonder if maybe this wasn’t a land of giants as I had anticipated it to be. “Hello,” I began, my voice a bit more steady as my shivering began to subside. “What is your name?”




G O D I V A
Mare - Rose Grey (ee Aa Gg) - Arabian - 3yrs - 15.0


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