Prompt 2 - Baby, It's Cold Outside

Hymn shifted in the cold breeze. She had a good shelter nearby but she didn’t want to go into it just yet. It was boring there and there was so much more to see outside. The clouds were floating by and there were still some stubborn birds around for winter who were making noise. Plus, there were fish still swimming under the layer of ice that now coated the nearby pond. She liked those a lot; the little flashes of color that dipped and dove up and down under the ice. 

Glancing back towards the shelter, Hymn tossed her nearly white head and stamped her pale hooves against the nearly frozen ground. There wasn’t any snow and that kind of disappointed her. She would have liked to play in the snow. It didn’t seem so cold when it snowed. 

Her unnaturally long white and seafoam tale swished as she tried to decide if she wanted to run or head to the shelter. There was feed and bedding there and the wind wouldn’t be so cold, which would be nice. She sniffed at the air, her glittered face catching the winter sun with a sparkle as she tried to stall making a decision just a little longer, her pale blue eyes watching the clouds. 

A loud huff interrupted her stalling as a blueberry horse with jagged sabino markings walked in front of her, their blue tail swishing as the smoke of their breath curled into the air. 

Uiscefhuaraithe nudged against Hymn, pushing the other mare in the direction of the shelter, her darker blue eyes suggesting the pale seafoam horse was being foolish. 

For a moment, Hymn thought about resisting. Maybe running off into the field and making the taller mare chase her, but a hard stamp of Uiscefhuaraithe’s white marked legs convinced Hymn that action would only lead to further problems for her. 

With a resigned sigh, Hymn headed for the shelter followed closely by Uiscefhuaraithe. Once she was out of the wind, she wasn’t sure why she’d been so hesitant in the first place. 

The shelter was warm and dry, and the bedding smelled of fresh wood shavings. It was also bigger than Hymn remembered as she circled the space and sniffed at the hay feeder and the bubbling fountain of water, though she did get her pale nose a bit too close and ended up withdrawing with a snort as the running water almost went up her nose. 

Uiscefhuaraithe nickered, an almost laughing sound, as she watched Hymn explore the space. Rather than interfere in the petite horse's antics, the tall mare simply walked over to the feed and settled in to munch on the grains and other provided delicacies. 

The wind howled outside, more clouds moving in as Hymn finally decided she was done exploring and before long the mare walked over and nuzzled against Uiscefhuaraithe. This time there was more of a question of “now what” in the gesture than anything else. 

Uiscefhuaraithe gave another, resigned sigh as she nudged Hymn to a spot in the shelter where they would largely be out of the wind but the inquisitive mare could still see the outside. With the wind getting ever colder and the encroaching clouds promising snow and ice, she didn’t feel like trying to get Hymn back inside once the storm hit. Better to keep her where she could see the world but maybe, hopefully, not feel the need to go back out in the cold. Not when there was warm bedding in the shelter and a dry place to sleep. 

Hymn looked at the thick bedding and then back to Uiscefhaurathe and then glanced out the window. She kicked at the woodchips, her white stockings and darker blue tinted legs sending them scattering. 

Uiscefhauraithe nudged the other mare into a better spot and then laid down on the bedding, rolling a bit so she could burrow into the shavings. If Hymn wanted to be chilly, that was on them at this point. 

Hymn looked momentarily offended at having her fun cut short, but another howling blast of wind sent a shiver through her. Even with her thick coat and a taste for the cold, the smell of ice was becoming sharp in the air. Rather than resist the warmth further, Hymn laid down next to Uiscefhauraithe and shimmied so the two were snuggled up together. 

There was a relieved sounding breath from Uiscefhauraithe as she rested her head and closed her blue eyes to get some sleep. Hymn draped her rapunzel tail over the pair as best she could. They didn’t really need a blanket, the shelter and bedding being more than well built enough to keep them warm, and the ground was oddly warm now that she was laying on it, but the extra warmth was still nice. 

The sound of sleet hitting the roof echoed through the shelter. It was oddly peaceful as they kept dry while the world around them began being coated in a delicate layer of ice. It was pretty watching it form through the window and knowing the cold wasn’t going to touch them in their bed. 

Hymn yawned and rested her head down near Uiscefhaurathe’s, the other mare now asleep. Hymn snuggled closer as the sleet and wind picked up, happy to be warm when the outside was so cold. She gave one last, curious look outside, and then closed her eyes to get some sleep as well. There’d be plenty of time to play tomorrow, and an entire winter wonderland to explore and race through. And even better, there’d be somewhere warm and soft and dry to come back to and a friend there to share it with.