The young colt had all but resigned himself to the harsh cold of the climate that tugged at his body. Cold seeped into his bones and froze the ends of his whiskers. So cold. Everything hurt. The tips of his ears no longer had any feeling and he almost believed that even his tail had frozen to the water smoothed pebbles that he lay upon. He was starting to feel numb and almost missed her approach were it not for the shadow that her figure cast over him.

Weakly he lifts his head, fighting away the painful ache in his head as he craned his neck up to let his bleary eyes fixate on the woman. The tenderness in her eyes is kind and somewhere in the back of his mind it reminds him of something he has lost. Like a memory that has faded with time, he cannot quite make it out but knows it is there nonetheless. He watches her lips as they move, the heat of her breath coming out in wisps of vapor. She asks if he is okay and he glances around him. Is he okay? Is he even alive? The dull ache in his leg is sure that he must be but okay? He cannot remember.

She offers the warmth of her body and despite the overwhelming desire to give up on life, his body is drawn to the comfort she offers. Awkwardly he uncurls his legs and rises shakily, spreading his legs wide to keep from toppling over. She pivotes her body closer, the warmth of her thick winter fur drawing him closer until he feels warmth radiate from her body into his. Her head drops towards him as she offers her name. Siobhan. Siobhan.

Siobhan.

Again and again he repeats her name in his mind, desperately begging his heart and mind to cling to it for familiarity. But there is none. No. he does not recognize it. Does not recognize her. Sorrow tugs his gaze lower as his muzzle drops lower. He does not know how long it is that they stand there like that, his slight form pressed against her red body. He does not know how many hours or minutes pass but the moment the male’s voice breaks the silence the boy find’s his pale blue eyes fluttering open again.

Shadow. Darkness.

Fear envelopes him as the dark stallion covers before his visionfield. Ears fold backwards into the frosted ends of his mane as he leans closer to the red woman, using the warmth of her body as reassurance. He tries to introduce himself, his thick husky tones calm and friendly in an attempt to gain trust but he would not be fooled. Shadow. Darkness. Death. It had come for him once, come for him in the ripping of grass and the upturned earth that had smothered him. His body begins to quake as he remembers the suffocating weight that pressed him into the earth before the waters took him and the rocks claimed his memory. The scuffle of hooves against rock is his undoing and the boy squeals defiance as he presses himself tighter into the red Siobhan, his body quaking in fear. ”No!!!” he screams, twisting first towards the stallion and then away, trapt against Siobhan’s side. ”Stop it! Stop IT!!” he shivers as the pounding in his head renews its strength and forces the breath from his lungs in huge gasps. He crumbles to the earth again, the pain in his scarred knees returning as the fresh scabs scrape over the rocks, smearing crimson blood in the wake of his outburst. Too much. Too much. Pale eyes roll back into his head as he topples over and lets the darkness overtake him once more.