Cold night out

[Loki]

Sarabi gazed out into the further pastures. He nostrils flared in the cold and vapur appearing like a ghost in the night. The Icy snow was deep and came to her knees. She whinnied, hoping for a call back. Nothing.
Her bay coat was now thick against the winter chill, Though the cold still got through to her.
The mare weaved her head angrily and began to walk with laboured breathe against the snow.
She had come far. Looking for a stallion or a herd to take over. She was only five years old, which was teenage for a horse.

Her ear pricked to a lonely howl in the direction she had come from. She looked back.
Had a wolf picked my scent? She thought snorting angrily. She put her head down, she smelt cats, a rank sharp scent, near to that of a mouse, though not so strong. There went the howl... louder. Sarabi whinnied in fright and picked up the pace into a canter, which was just about manageable in the thick snow.

[Loki]

At the sight of the mare Iki began to bound after her, he was lighter on the snow. He howled ounce more. "Suru!" He barked as the Grey she-wolf joined him. They had traveled so far... They were desperately hungry, so they had come to the lowlands. "It seems the great wolf him self is against us..." Suru whined as she nipped Iki's tail to slow him. "Why?" He sighed, tilting his head and flopping his ear. "We won't take down a horse such as that..."
Iki's sat he hadn't thought of that.
"We can look around tomorrow, Something will come... If worse comes then we'll have to suffer and scavenge in the Mennen camp."
Iki gasped, "But thats against wolf law!"
"Wolf law cannot chase our tails if we die of starvation... Iki come. I am tired, our energy is worthless here."
Iki looked back to the mare, now far and hopeless in the distance. Iki lowered his tail and flattened his ears, "I see..." He replied and followed Suru back to the dwelling of a make shift den, they called home. If they didn't find a pack of wolves soon, They would have to do what wolf law forbid of them.


Sarabi was safe now from the wolves, truthfully she was safe before. Not even a wolf pack of five would attempt a horse.
But she scraped the snow away. She was lucky... She had found a patch of thin snow, grass dormant beneath it. She picked at it, her breathe deadly to the grass that had become fragile and foul to eat.
She flicked her ears back and looked back. only two wolves? She thought stupidly. That was not the worry she should have been pressing.

Not far, in fact on top of the hill the mare was on. Was a human stood. He held something to his eyes. A skew bold horse next to him. The beast lowered its head and nuzzled at the man's pocket. "John?" The man whispered, The horse sighed and laid its ears back. Another human upon a chestnut stallion who flung its head around madly walked towards him, though the horse jogged and kneaded the ground in an attempt to get what he wanted, which was o gallop, uncontrollably down th hill and take the mare for himself.
The horse that was not mounted sighed, "Don't be an idiot Sorrel... Behave or you'll scare the game."
Sorrel still pranced, His fine body was built and moved accordingly to what the horse was doing.
Sorrel snorted, "Don't worry Takka, look how close we are!" He looked down excitedly.
Takka shook his head.
Takka's master stood, passing the object he held to John, who then lifted it to his eyes, while Takka's master gripped onto Sorrel, worried that the chestnut beast would bite him, due to that being the animals nature.
"Nice mare... huh Mt?" he muttered. Mt stood there and licked his lips.

Finally Mt turned to takka and tightened the straps around his horse's belly. He then mounted and came down clumsily on the back of Takka; who was used to it by now. "Ready?" Mt said flipping a large rope out his saddle bag and holding it y his thigh. Sorrel reared and threw his head up in excitement, though by the way John recovered, it was clear that he already was used to that by now...
"Hup!" John called, slapping his own rope across Sorrel's flank. The horse leaped forward and charged down towards Sarabi.

Sarabi's ears flew up as did her head. As soon as she heard he call she turned and took flight. She leaped high and galloped so fast that she did not sink into the snow.
Takka was galloped across the hill, his master waiting for John to heard the mare to them. "Hup hup!" He growled urging Takka on by slapping the rope across his flank repeatably. Takka arched his neck and threw his legs hard until he moved faster against Sarabi.

Down the hill, John struggled to get Sorrels attention. He tried to steer him across to the mares side, preventing her from the forest and herding her to Mt. "You wretched beast, MOVE!" He hissed slashing hard at the stallions flank until the horse, lowered his careless head, back in control John kicked Sorrel's sides.
"Come on.... Come on!" He grimmest panicking that the mare had wised to their idea.

For a moment he caught up to the mare, she tossed her tail menacingly and turned, ditching them as she charged into the forest. John pulled Sorrel up and Taka charged down towards them at the command of Mt.
"My turn..." The horse snorted and passed Sorrel, a flicker of know all in his eye. Sorrel reared and John kicked him hard. "Get up!" John snapped, Sorrel jumped side ways but turned and took his stride into the forest. Snorting and gasping in disgust. But his bit was yanked hard and hurt his mouth as, Takka came into view. Mt steadied the horse and shook his head. "Not even Takka's skill of baring the tree's could have caught that one..." He patted Takka, who sighed and looked down in pleasure.
Sorrel's head was high and as John turned him he tried to bolt. John was now red with rage. "What a waste of money!" He snapped, pulling hard to calm him.
"He's a youngun'." Mt sighed still patting Takka , "He'll loosen up..."
"He damn will."
Hissed John and the two trotted at a forced pace out of the forest. Sorrel took in the bit and chomped happily on it, sweat was visible on his chest and sides. John gritted his teeth, angry that a reasonably good horse was
taken just because of the actions of the beast he had spoiled his money for. Sorrel threw up his head, pleading for his head back and for John to loosen the rains. John angrily crashed his feet hard against his sides and forced him as fast as he could go and forcing the horse to his limits.

Takka through his head in fear. Mt patted him, and said in his reassuring, calm voice, "That horse has no manners... he deserves it..." Takka could not understand but he sighed. Humans were stupid, Animals did not live as they do, to take a horse to its limits was unfair, however the animal behaved.

Takka was turned up and taken to the hill. He was ounce again tethered to the stump next to the campsite.
Mt turned to the embers they had left and poked them with his stick. He then fed the fire with some wood and sat back. He looked at Takka with admiration, He was glad to have a horse with reasonable speed and a gentle mouth. Takka whinnied in a hopeful tune. Mt laughed and stood bringing a small sack round and tying it to the horses halter. Takka munched on the grain and only stopped to look where labored breathe came. it was Sorrel, and John who sat now happily upon his back.
"Any better?" Mt said stirring a pot heated by the fire.
"I broke that out of im'! Git tried to dump meh' so I got him hard and made im' go a mile more. He came back at the same pace still up the ill' he went."
Sorrel was plastered in sweat and mud, dribbles of blood from his flared nostrils and eyes were wide with the white showing. He shook with tiredness, he wouldn't be so quick to turn in the future. John was rough, and knew how to break a spirituous horse, into a goo behaved stock animal.

Mt sighed. "Good..." He replied not sounding as impressed.
John got down of Sorrel and patted him hard, thought to sorrel it felt more like a slap.
John quickly tied The horse next to Takka and sat next to Mt, Taking a bowl and spoon and scooping up whatever was in that pot above the fire.

Takka didn't speak, he finished his grain and dropped his head low. Mt had thrown a thin blanket over him.
Sorrel, rested his back left foot though his head was high and watchful of John, Grateful that Takka never spoke on such occasions....