A set of intense, golden-brown eyes peered curiously down into the shadows, scanning the lower area that had been obscured by a stone wall. The yearling had only discovered the opening by accident. He'd been looking for a hiding spot, and one wildly cast glance at the right angle had revealed the break in the rock to a lower, hidden passage. Dark nostrils vibrated with the rush of excited breathing, breath rising in a small vaporous plume against the chilly air. Had anyone else ever noticed this before?
Turning his head, the boy's ears, dark-rimmed gold, strained toward the faint sounds of shouting in the distance. Khorvaire's voice was raised as he counted down, reverberating against rock and hillock. 'Thirty-six! Thirty-seven! Thirty-eight!' Each number was exclaimed gleefully, punctuated with dramatic pauses. Salvatore's spout of tail waggled back and forth as he caught the next number, realizing there was plenty of time to hide from Khor and explore the passage below.
Cautiously, the dunalino colt had entered the opening, disappearing into the shadows. He followed the corridor until the space opened up onto a rocky hillside, and a smile spread across the youngster's lips as it did. His eyes drifted upward, wide with wonder at the falling white particles. Salvatore spent some time watching the snow as he pushed forward. The roof of the cavernous passage fell away as he ventured forth, and the sky above swirled with darkening clouds.
Slowly, he forgot about the game, and, in the course of his exploration, Salvatore came into an area of the Peak he had not seen before. All the while, the snow fell: lightly at first, then thicker as the minutes ticked by. It had been nearly an hour before the boy came to a stop beneath an overhang. Salvatore shivered in the shelter of the rock that jutted above him. His long-limbs trembled a little, and then the colt shook himself.. White powder fell from his topline, but the substance had clumped at his ankles and refused to loosen.
There were no sounds other than wayward bird calls and the soft swish of thick snowfall nearby. It was as if the world had fallen into a hushed silence, as if he were the only one left on the lonely peak. Anxiety knotted his stomach as the colt's eyes swept over the white landscape. There were no signs of movement that were noticeable on the upper slopes, already covered with a heavy layer of snow. The way below his location was blocked from sight by a large boulder.
Suddenly feeling very alone (and a little scared), Salvatore loosed a whinny-- a beseeching cry for help and his Momma Vo.