Calder had become far more familiar with the Basin and the layout of things here.  Unlike last time, he had not felt the urge to leave the Basin since returning.  He was much more interested in exploring within the land’s borders.  He wanted to get to know his herdmates and to involve himself in life here rather than remaining on the outskirts.  He knew it was time to move on and build a new life for himself and it seemed that there was all the potential in the world in this strange place.
 
He’d discovered that many of the Basin’s residents resided in caves to keep themselves safe from the cold, though Calder was not attracted to the premise of living in a Cave.  Calder was built for the cold so would rather sleep under the bright aurora than enclosed in stone.  He’d seen the great lake in the center of the herd.  He’d, of course, seen the monstrous looking sentinels standing guard at the border though they weren’t as fearsome as they were confusing to the brute. One thing that great stallion had been surprised to find here in the mountains was warm water.  Hot springs.  The mountain he’d come from had no such springs, but he’d known what they were instantly.  He was drawn by the steam to investigate, and was surprised to find a wee mare bustling around the springs with all manner of things by the time he got there.
 
“Hello!” he offered, still a fair distance from the mare who seemed busy enough in her task. As he drew nearer, Calder could see her bustling around with a number of things he didn’t particularly understand – though he did want to.  “I’m Calder.  What is it you’re doing?” he asked, and the genuine curiosity was evident in every syllable.  “Are ye one of the crafters?” It seemed like the answer was fairly obvious, but he didn’t want to assume anything about the mare.  He thought about offering his help, but so far she seemed to be handling herself quite well and he didn’t want to insult the lass, so he held off on his offer.
 
Calder found himself fascinated in all the bits and pieces strewn about – there were no crafters in his old herd.  Every now and then the river otters presented them with gifts, but they were plain folk, for the most part.  He wondered what else could be created here – and what the end result of all the lass’ hard work would be.