A snort escapes in low tones outward from his nasal cavity, vibrating dark nostrils as the air escapes in a plume of vapor. Then the mass of the stallion's head shakes hard back and forth, once then twice, in an effort to clear his muddled senses. The cold seeps into his skin, made possible by the wind and the snow melting slowly upon his musculature.
Alioth slowly untangles his legs and attempts to stand. His balance is off. Every movement falters, but the young male does manage to stand. Snow crumbles off his topline as his center of gravity shifts. Once centered atop his legs, Alioth shakes himself vigorously to rid himself fully of white fluff. Eriana's words register as the powdery bits float away on a breeze. They do need to find shelter.. and quickly if they don't want to go down for a long winter's sleep.
With a mind made sluggish by the cold, the Appaloosa struggles to remember the layout of the land around them. How far were they from any of his hiding places, scattered across the Crossing? The field stretches far into the dark past these spindling trees, yawning wide beneath the open night sky. A thought tugs naggingly at his brain of one spot he might have passed earlier that afternoon.
Lowering his head, Alioth's tongue flits out to lick at the snow at his hooves. A few licks provide enough moisture to wet the inside of his mouth and clear away the dryness of sleep. He is still champing and running his tongue over his teeth when his head finally raises. They need to get moving, but where to go?
Brown eyes narrow on masses farther off in the night across the expanse of the Meadow. "I know it's dark," Alioth manages, tongue heavy in his mouth, "but do you think you can make it to those trees?" The spotted stallion shivers, cold biting into the skin not yet covered by thicker fur. "Might be.. a mile off? Less?" The stallion's dark profile turns toward Eriana, his eyes searching hers.