Icefell, Lysismach, & Innops

Five months had passed since Ultair had fallen, six months since Innops first became ill. The small band of mares had not yet found a new stallion to help protect them, leaving Icefell to act both as leader and constant sentry for her daughter and the other young mare who was slowly rebounding from the crippling illness that had nearly taken her life.

Icefell's dappled gray and white body stood out brilliantly against the dull backdrop of gray-tan ground and random tufts of grass and low-growing vegetation. Her ears were lifted up attentively, and every few moments, she would bring her muzzle up from the ground where she was grazing so that she could have a good look around her. With no set territory to reside in, Icefell had chosen the more open lands to travel through in their daily quest for food and drink, so that lurker predators would be easier to spot, and their field of vision would be less obstructed.

Lysismach came up behind her mother, whose large size she almost matched by now. She was still young, but was an adult now, and starting to gain the sort of maturity that would one day reflect the sort of attitude and responsibility that her mother had. For now however, the black-maned mare was perfectly content with letting her mother keep a watch while she helped herself to some sedge growing at the side of a small, babbling creek.

Innops lagged sorely behind the two, though they were conscientious enough to slow down for her now and then so that she was never too far from them. Her once glossy, rich black coat was patchy and miserably rugged in appearance, and there was a certain way her head hung that suggested not all was right with this young mare. "This looks like a good place to rest and feed." She murmured as she joined her half sister Lys in mowing over the sedge. Icefell pivoted around and turned her eyes down at the slightly smaller of the two, silently taking note of her condition. For as bad as she looked now, Ice was tentatively happy to see that she was improving... she only hoped that Innops would continue to grow stronger before the winter came. "The area seems safe enough, and besides-" She lowered her muzzle earthward to lip up a few blades of grass, "-it would be a shame to pass up such a nice patch of green as this."

Turbo, Steel Blue, & Tanner

Tanner was leading his two brothers along the Eskers in search of food, following the scent of the three horses that had crossed into the area not long ago. Out of all his siblings, he matched the scenery the best with his tan-brown coat and mild brown eyes. He also had the best nose of the three and a good set of eyes that attuned to the smallest of movements, making him the ideal scout that usually found the prey. Those senses were hard at work today in trailing the herd, who after nearly a mile of stalking, they were finally in sight of. Turbo, Steel, fan out. I don't think they've seen us yet. Tanner whispered when the trio of mares became visible after he topped a high sand ridge. Keep an eye on that dark one. She's smaller than the others.

Turbo and Steel Blue did as directed and fanned out to either side of their brother, but stayed close enough that they could whisper between one another and plan their assault. The big one there with the dappled coat must be the leader. See how she carries herself? We'll need to distract her and split her from the other two. Turbo suggested. The dark one will be our target.

Icefell, Lysismach, & Innops

The breeze that swept in over the Eskers, cool, brisk, and informative in the scents it carried, nontheless failed to bring the three equines any notice of the wolves that were stalking them. It was coming in the wrong direction. Icefell flared her nares and lifted her creamy, lightly dappled face to the soft wind, satisfying herself that she picked up nothing dangerous, aside from the warning that fall was already upon them and winter would soon be on its way. The lead mare shook her head lightly and dropped it down towards the sedges once again.

"Mom, do you think we should stay nearer to the domes this winter?" Lysis asked, raising her head to take a gander around while Ice had hers lowered. "Last winter wasn't so bad, but who knows what this season will be like."