Bitter Wind (Jasmine)

[Colt]

12th of winter, 513 a.v
noon

The wind was bitter, and even though the sun was high in the sky she did little to help. Winter bit at whatever flesh it could find, pulling and devouring heat like a starving beast. Shahar shivered and did his best to burrow deeper into his cloak, though that only did so much against the chill; the season of cold was here, and with it came the inescapable numbness of limb that would only disappear in the depths of slumber, and even then such a thing could not be guaranteed. Soon enough, the illness, irritability and all-around foulness of the season would descend in full, and so Shahar did his best to maintain a positive outlook for as long as he could.

Akaidras huffed, and his breath becoame a great cloud of steam. The Drykas nodded in recognition and abandoned the patch of ground he’d been examining; nothing had passed this way in a great many hours at the very least, possibly not in days. He would find no quarry here, and he’d lingered for too long already. The superficial warmth of mid-day would not last for a great deal longer, and the days were already growing shorter. He wanted to get this done before the real chill set in.

Rubbing his nose in an attempt to restore feeling, the hunter stood. His Strider shifted in anticipation even as he was swinging into the yvas, and in the ghost of a heartbeat they were settled and moving. Akaidras set out in an easy lope, unhurried but covering good ground. Neither of them were particularly interested in going any faster; the greater the wind force, the more heat was stolen. They had enough things to deal with without adding hypothermia to the list––the scarce times had come, and there was a family to be fed.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine flew through the sky again for the third time in a row that day. She had been commissioned to break in a new military horse and this particular one was proving to be a challenge this time. She landed with a loud thud as several of her fathers helpers ran over to get her up and check on her. "Please miss you must not mount that horse again!" One of the male Drykas said in a frenzy. She relented with a sigh, "okay I relent put the horse inside for the evening and bring me Chaser." Jasmine got up and dusted herself off before grabbing her cloak and putting it on.

Jasmine smiled seeing Chaser fighting against the men holding him. "You may let him go. He will be fine," She said with a smile as they released him, and Chaser quickly trotted over. She mounted up and let them know to tell her father that she will be back soon. She put the hood on her head and clicked her tongue as Chaser took off to the border of the encampment. She put her hood down so the guards could see her face as they let her out. The icy wind hit her face harshly as she slowly rode Chaser out. She put her hood back on an clicked her tongue again as Chaser quickly started to canter across the Sea of Grass.

[Colt]

Akaidras snorted at something Shahar could not see, and his stride faltered to avoid it. In a moment, though, the stallion had returned to a regular pace and Shahar resettled in his seat.

He decided to try a water source; even in the winter, animals needed water, and though it might be a bit out of his way he was sure to see his snare sprung. A little more effort, but worth it; he’d take anything he could get this season, and if all he ended up with was a lean hare then he would be thankful for that hare.

He guided his Strider with his knees to where he knew a water source was. They had passed the stream during their previous migration, and it had been large enough that he was certain the cold hadn’t dried it. There had to be things living nearby.

He caught sight of darker grass and angled Akaidras towards it. That had to be their destination.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine smiles as she clicks her tongue again. She loved to feel the icy wind against her face after a long day of training horses. The wind blew hard against her cheeks as her hood fell down exposing her face to the elements. "Come on Chaser let's race against the wind and see who is faster!" Jasmine said with a smile as Chaser snorted and neighed before picking up speed. Chaser raced across the plains as Jasmine laughed on his back.

Jasmine laughed having fun just riding with Chaser as she did every evening. She slowed Chaser to give him a chance to relax. "Let's stop up ahead at the pond," She said patting Chaser's side. She smiles relaxing into the ride as she quietly made her way across the plains still. She looked at Chaser confused as he started to prance in place and snort gently as if something was close by them. "What's wrong big boy?" She asked and looked around not knowing what's out there. She looked and saw a shadow in the distance moving towards the water. "Come on big boy we have to get to the water," She said and clicked her tongue as Chaser started to walk again.

[Colt]

Akaidras pulled to a halt and Shahar dismounted. The frosted grass crunched beneath his boots as he made his way to the water’s edge, only to find it frozen over. Huffing in irritation, the hunter reached for the weapon at his belt; three feet long and intricately carved with images of galloping horses that one could only assume to be Striders, the waraxe was sleek in shape and fit into his grip like the hand of an old friend. He turned it over once, simply looking at it mindlessly, but then shook himself and flipped it over. With a mighty heave the hunter cracked the ice covering the stream and exposed the running water underneath. Akaidras could drink as he looked for trails.

My friend, he signed, but the horse was not watching. Instead, Akaidras was nervously eyeing something on the horizon, shifting warily to face the direction from which they had just come. Curious and cautious, the hunter tightened his fingers around the axe handle; he didn’t want to run into trouble, not today.

But no, it was not trouble on the horizon. At least, it didn’t look like trouble. A horse and rider, as near as he could tell, though they also seemed to be wary in their approach. Though he did not put away his axe, Shahar’s posture was not one of confrontation; his posture was almost completely blank instead, though the barest hint of curiosity might have been there somewhere.

Someone was coming.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine put her hood back on covering her eyes since she didnt know who was ahead. She dismounted and took a staff used to train horses from Chaser's saddle and walked over working quietly on breaking the ice. She didnt like the look of the axe and did not want any trouble so she did not say anything to the man close by. She had been around many men before but this one seemed different. She figured it was because he did not work for her family in camp. She walked over to Chaser as he walked over to the water and drank from it also eyeing the male Drykas and other Strider werily.

Jasmine stood quietly beside her horse before catching a fleeting glance at the man beside her. She couldn't stop her eyes from gently looking over his body. Jasmine would often day dream about a mate like the male beside her. Her mind tried to talk some sense into her, obviously he was mated already. She thought quietly and patted Chaser's side as the horse lifted his head gently. "Easy boy," she said gently as her voice carried through the air to the young man'a ears.

[Colt]

The horse and rider drew nearer, near enough that Shahar could make out more detail to them. The horse was definitely a Strider, so the person atop it––him, as the horse appeared to be a stallion––had to be a Drykas. The figure was cloaked, but Shahar was still able to make out feminine curves beneath the cloth when she dismounted. Her gaze flicked to the axe momentarily, but then it was away, focusing on the horse as she led him to the stream. The woman knelt by another part of the ice to break it, and Shahar was immensely surprised to find himself breaking the silence.

“Unneeded,” he said. His voice was hardly above a whisper that rasped with years of silence, but there was no noise but the wind and the shifting of the horses. Unless she was hard of hearing, his words should have been audible. “I have already broken it.” He signed there, gesturing to the place where he had, indeed, broken the ice.

Akaidras remained close at the shoulder, though his ears were pricked with curiosity. It had been a great while since he’d met another stallion, at least since he’d abandoned his herd of bachelors. He had no mares or herd to defend, so there was no need for displays or competition; however, like he always did in the presence of new company, the horse remained close to his rider.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine flicked her eyes to the hole as a faint blush appeared on her on cheeks as the wind whipped around the two Drykas and Striders. She pulled the cloak a little tighter her as the wind continued to pick up in speed and strength. "Soon it will rain again," Jasmine said looking up at the skies. Chaser snorted and stomped one hoof as he laid eyes on the other stallion. She gently smiles and pats Chaser's neck gently. "Behave yourself big boy," the young blonde haired Drykas said. She knew that Chaser did not just befriend another stallion at meeting him. "Do excuse him. He is not very nice around new comers," Jasmine said looking at the two beside them.

"My name is Jasmine Moonstone and this is Chaser. You are?" Jasmine asked looking at them. She wanted to know more about this man though she was sure that her mother would have a conniption about her getting to know a random man out on the plains. Her blue eyes shimmered gently looking at him with curiosity. Chaser snorted and nosed her hand ready to go and get away from the male Drykas and other stallion. The wind was picking up makingthe temperature drop even more as Jasmine pulled her cloak closer to her once again to no avail.

[Colt]

Color spread into the woman’s cheeks, and she looked up to the sky. Shahar blinked once at her remark, not sure exactly what she meant by it; was she talking to him about the rain? Was he expected to respond? What in the world was he supposed to say to that? He eventually decided to let it drop, since he did not really have anything to say about rain and she seemed to be moving on anyway.

She turned her attention to the stallion, and Shahar signed a quick understanding. He, too, knew the woes of a difficult Strider.

Jasmine. Like the flower. Shahar gave a quick acknowledgement.

“Shahar,” he said, gesturing to himself. “Shahar Dawnwhisper.”

A chill wind tugged at his cloak, and he settled deeper into his hood. He was reminded again that fouler weather was on the way; he would have to get moving if he was to find prey before the real cold set in.

Letting this Jasmine do as she would with the broken ice, Shahar bid Akaidras to stay and stepped over the stream. This was a water source––there had to be at least one trail.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

"There hasn't been anything big around here for days," Jasmine said looking at him and motioned for Chaser to stay as well. She stepped across the creek so they would be able to hear each other better. "Our hunters went out a few days ago but they have not found anything yet. They go farther each day but it seems there is nothing around for miles," Jasmine said gently. "Come back to Endrykas I will help you get some food to last a few days before it gets super cold," she said looking at him.