Falls

He cursed mildly under his breath as he continued his slow meandering, his spotted nose to the ground as he huffed warm air to melt small patches of ice and snow enough to try and find the few sparse brown grasses that still lingered. It was the biggest hindrance of his draft lineage, the sheer amount of food he needed to sustain himself in such times. The weather had turned harsh, the heart of winter fully set upon the land so much so that he mused even Atlantis was feeling the effects. For a brief moment his thoughts drifted to the Forest, of the evergreens that held their thick boughs even in the winter providing consistent shelter. In his mind glimpses of their faces played blurred by time and memory, bodies huddled close under the stars for warmth as he watched over them. A grumble rumbled heavily in his deep chest in an attempt to chase away the thoughts so warm and welcoming; he knew too well the trap which could so readily ensnare him if he lingered too long in the past. Long ago he had accepted that what is done is done, but that did not relieve him of the guilt that weighed heavy on his thick shoulders.

Instead he plodded along, focused instead of finding anything that would prevent him from having to grind his teeth on root and branch to fill his belly. So intent was he on his task that as he strayed toward the eerily still falls, their movement halted by the thick ice, that he did not notice the blue-gray woman before he was almost upon her. There was little doubt that she had noticed him, his large form was hard to miss and despite the white that blanketed his form the copper and black of his coat stood in stark contrast to the wintry world around them. He made a soft sound meant to me soothing in some way, no doubt in times past his stumbling on a mare wandering by herself would have evoked different reactions in the gentleman but just now it left him feeling a bit hollow.

Still, manners were hardwired into his being no matter how brutish he could be at times. “Beggin’ your pardon, ma’am.” His heavy head bowed slightly as if trying to make himself smaller in some manner, a futile attempt no doubt but he did it anyway, as his deep voice filled the air around them. It always seemed out of place, especially in the grip of winter when the snow softened all other sounds to near stillness. “I didn’t mean to intrude.” He was a bit surprised to find anyone out and about in such weather, most of his kind were smart enough to take shelter and safety in numbers if for no other reason than survival. His emerald eyes studied her face quietly, finding that she looked rather melancholy if only because it was a feeling he was so familiar with. He hated the way it made his heart ache, the way some part of him sought to fix whatever might be causing such pain. “What’s troublin’ you?” No matter how he railed against the notion, he couldn’t stop the words that drawled out thickly. One day he would learn, though apparently not today.