HOW DO I WAKE MY SPIRIT COLD?
The young colt had spent much of his time since landfall on Tinuvel hidden away in the beating heart of the Inlet, in the caverns with their life-sustaining hotsprings. Upon feeling the biting cold kiss her skin, Echo had inwardly lamented, fearing that she and her son would not make it through the winter. But the stallion that had guided them through the ocean and brought them to a place where the war would not reach them, promised to provide for them. And provide he did. But then he departed again, and when eventually he did return, it was in a bad way. The mother-and-son duo had kept out of the way of the rest of the herd, allowing them to tend to the injured monarch. The two of them – a blind mare and a young colt – could do nothing to help, and so the lingered, for the most part, out of the way.
Eastwise had grown strong despite the harsh environment and the fears of his mother, and was thriving. Now that the grey stallion, Warsaw, was out of immediate danger, and the future was a little less uncertain, the quiet, contemplative colt had started mingling with the rest of the herd, and was looking forwards to getting to know the other young ones better. Thus far, he’d not strayed from Echo’s side for long, but this morning, he woke with a start and crept away, leaving his blind mother slumbering along with some of the other herd. The black and white colt took a moment to survey the landscape, his breath misting in the cold air. His dark ears turned back as he caught sight of Warsaw and one of his daughters… Claymore, that was her name.
Before he took a step towards them, he watched as she retreated, disappearing into the treeline. Eastwise hesitates, uncertain. Since his arrival here, he’d not approached Warsaw, both caught up with looking out for his mother, and keeping a respectful distance as the experienced, grey stallion recovered. Why he was approaching now, he was unsure. There were many unspoken questions he’d spent the last few months mulling over, and if he could guess, East figured his mother wondered a great many things too. She had been largely unsettled, which was to be expected, given the vulnerability of both herself and young Eastwise, and he knew being so far from her family, and in such a foreign place wasn’t easy for her either. Still, there seemed to be something deeper, an underlying concern that Eastwise couldn’t fathom and was afraid to drag into the light.
With a soft snort, the yearling spurred himself into movement, and as he neared Warsaw, he let out a call, his youth pitching his voice high and lyrical. “Warsaw, I noticed Claymore, um, she seemed upset.” Eastwise trailed off, feeling a little awkward (but not entirely uncomfortable), and turned his pale face away from the trees where the young mare had vanished and towards the stallion, blue eyes settling on the older male and studying his expression. “Is everything okay? If there’s anything I can do… My mother’s still asleep near the others, and I guess I needed to stretch my legs a little.” |
