Up ahead,
and icy threat

at its base,
my brother's bray.

Yes, I can face the cold and wet,
Faith carry me to the top.




Ashamin had wandered from the campfire's festivities and found himself at the base of a very steep and icy-looking hill. The immediate response was to turn away and avoid such a clamorous climb, but the mare upon that rocky outcropping, presumably another host of the Hidden Falls herd, was seeming to encourage that others try and make the ascent. At its top lingered a blue flame, bright proof that it was possible.

Ashamin shook his stiff hind leg, happy that it had at last ceased to hinder his motion, and bent down his neck. There the young cerndyr slept, and there he must wake. The haruspex looked around as he nudged his unwilling companion, taking note of the fact that this was apparently where his corporal, Ki'irha, had ended up. Ashamin was not surprised at the paths those he knew had taken, it made sense that they would end up in such places.

But he was not one to miss out on opportunity to learn and discover, and this was an opportunity to explore the Hidden Falls to its utmost. Lochan yawned and brayed, revealing a host of small milk teeth, and rolled over where he rested in the Haruspex's sarong. But Ashamin grabbed hold of Lochan's scruff, lifting him carefully and placing him at his own deer hooves. "Time to wake, little one," he whispered kindly, combating the adorable frustration in Lochan's white eyes as best as he could.

He aligned himself at the base of the hill and prepared to set off. It would be a tough climb, but one he would do his best to attempt. Lochan butted the buds of his horns against Ashamin's hock, urging him forth with good luck, before bounding away to rest in the shadow of a nearby rock formation, close to the host. Though Ashamin was hesitant to leave his companion's side, he knew it was safer than risking the climb with Lochan at his breast.

And when the call rang, he had to turn from the sweet features of his 'panion and focus on the ascent. Like others there, he was thankful for the claws of his hooves that let him gain such good grip, and though the ice was treacherous, he'd climbed stiffer and more treacherous mountains while getting lost in the Basin. He could only hope, as he struggled up that hill, close enough to his corporal to flash her a smile and cast a whinny in her direction, that he could maintain his endurance. His tail waved long, a tool for incredibly balance, and he soldiered upwards with a look of determination.


""

[[Once again apologies for lateness, hope I can still be included! Tagged for mention: @[Ki'irha].]]

ASHAMIN