Evers watched Rita in silent envy as she leapt effortlessly here and there with the nimbleness her breed offered her. It made the skinny roan think of how wonderful it must feel to have so much energy in ones muscles that such a movement could come so naturally. Even in his younger days Evers did not think he had ever strode forwards with such exuberance, his mind was always delayed by other things like old histories and the wonders of the world. He was no athlete, there was no fighter in the blue, though fight he could, he preferred the more relaxing life of a scholar. Even now his eyes moved from his tireless dog to the half naked trees and wondered if they felt cold, did trees feel cold? Did they feel warmth? Or did they just grow there, in that particular spot that had been chosen for them by a gust of wind and a plucky seed, feeling nothing and just growing until eventually they died. However, the more he looked the more he noticed their branches that contorted in artistic ways in order to reach the suns rays; perhaps they did feel the cold after all. Some were coated in green moss as if nature had created its own blanket for them. Somewhere in his little, and rather odd musing, a voice echoed in the back of his mind. Strange, it wasn’t his voice, yet it sounded so familiar as it shouted his name in increasing volume and excitement.

"It’s Darwin!" cried Rita into the mind of her oblivious bonded who still had his head lost in the woods, half heartedly acknowledging that the voice wasn't in the back of his mind and belonged to someone they knew.

“Ah, Darwin” Evers nodded distractedly, still gazing at the trees until finally his mind suddenly jolted and his eyes widened. “What, Darwin?!” he spun around on the spot to the roll of Rita’s eyes and, after all the seasons that had passed, finally looked at his younger brother for the first time in what felt like an age. The last Evers had seen of him was when he was just a child, still bay, untouched by times grey hairs, but the blue roan recognised the same markings and the same general design, the scent and the tie of brotherhood. He had grown up into a handsome young stallion and a weight was lifted from the roan’s shoulders, that Darwin was alive and, seemingly, well was a wonderful gift.

Rita bounded forward to the youngster and barked once in joyous greeting, her tail rapidly flicking from side to side. However, before Evers could greet his sibling there was a crack and a rumble as the sound of stones falling filled the blues ears and he briskly moved closer to Darwin, his eyes darting about warily. What was that? Then, after the noise had faded another became more prominent, this time it was a voice and it cried for help.

It was after that, a young filly, a yearling maybe, cried out to them for aid and Evers swiftly (swifter than he’d anything he'd done in months) began to move. “Darwin, do you think you can fly up there and guide the poor fellow out?” he asked of his brother, who had the only pair of wings between them. Once he had waited for his answer, Evers made his way towards the collapsed cave and, once there, fell in beside the young filly. He tried to help her grab the vine and, with Rita also trying to hold on, went to throw it down to the trapped stallion. “Try grabbing onto that” the roan shouted whilst his mind looked for other ways to help. For now he hoped the antlered stranger would have enough strength to get himself out, it was no good Evers trying to climb in to get him, they’d both end up stuck.

“Stay behind me” he gently murmured to the filly with concern.

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[sorry for the uber long wait! Let me know if I misinterpreted anything wrong :S]