For The First Posts

It is the morning after the snowstorm, and all of the groups would either be huddled together in the open, or emerging from the limited shelter that they found [meaning forests, or hiding beneath cliffs, etc]. They are rather far away from each other--certainly out of hearing distance regardless of how loud you are.

So, their mission now is to find one another, and survive until they do.

Bachelor stallions may have already heard that the snowstorm split up a group of mares from their stallions, some may just wander upon the mares. Some may know of the herd but not the split up.

Group 1 found no shelter, and is in the middle of a large field bordered by dense forest.

Group 2 found a cave to take shelter deep inside of.

Group 3 took shelter in a forest beside the bottom of a cliff, pressed between the trees and the jagged cliffside.

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All posts need a header of some sort. Think of something along the lines of:

The light peaking through the clouds brought his attention upwards from the ground, which had become piled high with snow. The clouds had slowly begun parting, allowing the early morning sunlight to peak through. With it came the light allowing the stallion to take note of those around him.

Ouray, his Lieutenant, Bergen and Dez, his herd stallions, Luyu, one of his herd mares, and Ori, a chestnut colt that was sired by Ouray. The chestnut had managed to tuck himself into the large stallions side, and he didn't move so as not to disturb the meekly slumbering colt. Who knew how little sleep the bright yearling had gotten, he wouldnn't need to be awoken now.

"Ouray," he called softly, voice hoarse and near croaky. The rest of his herd was missing, his mares and offspring, and the offspring of his fellow stallions. "Bergen, Dez, Luyu." He called the others into waking if they weren't already awake. "Anyone know where we are or how far we travelled in the storm?" He could make a mild guess that it had been far, if the field surrounding them was anything to go by.

He hoped, faintly, that the rest of the herd was still together, though doubted it. He just hoped that the main body of the herd was with Saga, their Lead Mare, or Yvaine, her Deputy Mare.

"Luyu, you stay here with Ori. Dez, you and Ouray stay here." He turned towards the onyx stallion that was like his family. "Brother, you must stay here with your son, and help Dez protect Luyu and Ori. If anything happens, we will be within earshot. I promise." He turned away, towards the other stallion that had not been addressed.

"Bergen, you're with me. We're going to go on a short scout for the rest of the herd. In case we don't find them, we also have to look out for grazing spots and water."

He paused. A short pause, but a pause nonetheless.

"Any complaints about those roles?"

Dez || 6 || Group 1 || M: Group 1, Others inHerd (Ind)

Thick snowflakes clung to the stallion's eyelashes, further inhibiting an already whitewashed vision. The clouds were still thick enough that what sunlight poked through them was not reflecting too badly off the new mounds of snow. Smooth ripples created a beach-like effect across the landscape; the wind had destroyed any tracks that the rest of the herd may have left.

Dez's mind drifted into deep thoughts as he studied the other horses around him. The snow was deeper than he'd ever witnessed and his lower legs were near numb. He shook himself violently, marring the undisturbed snow around him with indentations as the icy chunks detached from his body and hit the ground.

At the low sounds of Chex, he turned and crunched through the snow towards the darker stallion. When asked how far they had traveled, he quietly stated, "Everything looks different in the snow, but I can't say I recognize anything here."

Whether or not Chex heard him, he could not say. The other stallion had moved on to what Dez considered to be probably more important things. He stood quietly as the lead distributed his assignments and sent a short glance towards Luyu, Ori, and Ouray. Protect the first two? Yeah, he could do that.

Not having a mate, and not having sired any foals in the herd, made it easier for Dez to keep a more level head. Had he had such things, he would be too frantic on their behalf to think correctly. He silently thanked himself for being lonely in that regard.

Dez moved over to Luyu's side and then raised his head at Chex's final question. The flaxen chestnut considered his words for a moment before responding, "I have none."

The sun, although not yet bright itself when gazing upwards, reflected upon the snow and blinded the onyx stallion the moment his eyes had opened. A simple frown rested upon his defined features, his legs deep within the white snow and tail coated with clumps of the icy mineral. The moment he had awoken from his few hour slumber, his eyes had begun to work, snapping around and trying to find his bearings.

He knew that he was with Bergen, Dez, Luyu, Chex, and Ori. He knew that they were in the middle of a field. And he knew that the rest of the herd was nowhere in sight. Perfect. Ouray couldn't help but deepen his frown, evidence of worry seen upon his face in small glimpses. He hoped that Saga was safe and that the others were with her. He hoped that there were no more than two groups. Most importantly, Ouray hoped to find them soon.

His gaze moved to his own group, counting and recounting their figures to confirm the amount with him. Then, his eyes rested upon the sleeping figure of Ori, his son, and his look softened. He was glad that he was with him. If separated, Ouray would spend more time worrying for Ori's safety than anything else. Would he have ended up with Saga? Would he have wandered off alone? Would he have been hurt? Then again, Ouray's worries hardly decreased. Duana, his younger daughter, was not with him, so the same worries he had for Ori's safety, he had for her. She was but five months old. How Ouray needed her to be with Saga. If she wasn't..

His merciless thoughts had been interrupted (thank goodness), as Chex, the Lead Stallion, and practically his brother, called his name. "Yes, yes, I'm up," he responded, his own voice croaking back before clearing his throat. At his friend's question, Ouray smacked his lips and let his eyes wander once more before turning back to him. "We're in the middle of a field," he bluntly stated. "I don't think we made it too far, so I'm hoping the rest of the herd hasn't either." Releasing a sigh, his ears flickered. "I couldn't even tell you which direction the others went in, though." His tone was mildly depressing, though Ouray figured it would do nobody any good to wallow, so he excused himself and listened to Chex's words.

"Of course," he responded, bobbing his head to his orders at departing for a scout. Ouray wouldn't have let him go as easily had the snow continued to fall. At least now their trails could easily be seen if they lost their way. "Be safe, brother, you too, Bergen. Call if you see anything and we'll come to your aid." With that, the stallion took a few steps around, breaking up the snow with his legs so that he could move around without as much hassle. That, and so his son could as well.

When asked if any complaints were amidst the group, Ouray glanced at Dez, agreeing with the other stallion. "I have none either, now go on. If there are any, they can take it up with me." Time was precious enough as is, and they couldn't waste it when the remainder of the herd could be wandering around halfway across the world by now.

This was quite a situation they had put themselves in.

Noche || 4 || Mare || Group 3 || M: Adela

The black mare would have stood out in stark contrast to the snow, had it not been for the clumps of it that had fastened themselves to her body. She now huddled under one of the few pine trees in the area, next to the spotted mare Adela. Her eyes scanned the area around her for any sign of familiarity. Her mind constantly rocked back and forth between recognition and the lack thereof, further frustrating the young mare.

That tree could have been the one she had itched against before the storm... or it could have been a totally different one. She was not sure. A blizzard could change so much of the landscape... one younger pine had been bent over completely, and the top of another had broken off to expose the pale wood beneath the bark. A mound to her left could have been a rock, a covered bush, a small hill, a corpse,...

Noche grimaced at the final thought and looked away, down towards the base of the evergreen by which she was stationed. With a quiet sigh, she asked, "Adela, do you know where we are?"

A cold breeze somehow managed to break through the snow along his back and reach his spine. Kai shivered, shaking his frame once more, dishelving some snow along his form, but a bit remaining. Ice was also frozen along his form, and it had just begun to thaw. His legs, mane, tail, and head felt rather heavy as his small reserve of body heat and the weak rays of sunlight did little to melt them. With the whether the previous day and night, it was extremely fortunate he wasn't alone, or he might not have survived.

His head was lowered, tucked in front of Sage's chest, the slightly taller stallion offering a bit of shelter. He felt Cairo nearby, and wondered how the both of them had fared. His head tucked close to Sage, most of the ice had melted against the heat of the dark stallion's body. Hearing the first call of a bird in a tree nearby, Kai marked that as a sign to make a move. It was rather late in the morning, but it seemed most creatures had been too busy attempting to keep warm to start their day.

Moving away from the other two studs, Kai huffed in surrender as he moved into the fresh air and away from their bubble of warmth. He trotted a few paces away, his ears pricked, and his body tense for any sign of the herd he had been following for the past few weeks. They probably found shelter, but couldn't be too far away, right? Then again, the storm could have moved them farther away than he hoped. His ears pinned in frustration as he felt no sign of their presense. They had only been a few miles away just 24 hours ago, but they must be farther now. Weeks of progress could be lost, and he needed to make up for it. In fact... perhaps the storm had lowered the count of stallions, or weakened them, at least. This could be a prime opportunity.

He turned back towards his companions before shaking out his frame. He had worked up a bit of a sweat from working his way through the snow, and ice and snow now melted away as he shook. There were only a few stubborn pieces of ice in his mane, tail, and feathering.

"Come on, the herd's moved away during the storm, we need to find them and start trailing again," he said to them with a decisive tone. He didn't wish to rush his companions. Perhaps they were worse off after last night than he was, but they seemed to both have pulses, and that was enough for him. He swished his tail eagerly and waited for a response.

"Well, maybe after we find some grazing underneath these snow drafts," he added as his stomach released an impatient growl.