With the arrival of autumn comes the changing of the trees. There are leaves hanging above the red stallion's head, and the world is awash with yellows, reds, oranges, and browns. Everything appears to be warm in colour, but there is a bitter and biting chill that has settled into the forest. When the stallion had awoken, he had found that the first frost was early to settle in, making his skin cool to the touch and letting a sort of moisture lay across his coat as though the fall was personally welcoming him.

The subtle change in the season had put him slightly on edge, leaving the stallion to be sure to linger closer than usual to the herd. Constantly on the edges of the group, Vercingetorix found himself bouncing between mares here and there, trying to grab attention and sometimes trying to deflect attention. Other times, he lingered at the edges of the herd, pretending to be enraptured in grazing whilst the group moved along at their own steady pace- his eyes constantly alternating between staring at their backs and imploring the woods for any unwanted visitors. Ever vigilant, it had been a little while since the red dun had spotted the youngest of the group- the quiet filly that had recently huffed and puffed to get his attention earlier.

Reluctant to leave the group completely unprotected, the stallion fell back a bit, dark eyes carefully scouring the forest in search of the bay filly and her black counterpart. While Vercingetorix harboured no ill feelings towards the young filly, he was intentionally wary of the colt, and determined to be the retaining wall that held him back and away from the rest of the herd. Young Costello would be welcome to come and go, but her brother would be restricted to the edges of the herd, just out of reach of the more bold of the mares, lest he wish to be greeted with hooves and teeth from the protective dun.

One last glance towards the herd affirmed that they were travelling in a group, and there was little for the stallion to be concerned about. Should anything happen, he was assured that he would be able to hear a commotion or a summoning call and he would be able to swoop in like the guardian of the forest that he was. Now, he hangs back even further, being sure to keep a slow pace and carefully watching the trees for any sign of the young bay.