Bruised Ego (open)

[Lady B]

Not a soul was seen for a while and this bothered her to no end. Valkyrie waded through the deep snow and remained deluded with hopes of being a great Northern Army mare. "I'd make a great warrior mare," she grumbled to herself then pawed and pounded at the snow. "Why can't they see that! Stupid brutes! Stupid stallions! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" as she continued to pound her hooves down to cause the snow to fly and compact, even dust her reddish pelt with the silvery white stuff.
"Dumb stallions," and pouted with her head hung slightly. She worked herself up into such a brief frenzy and now she was panting heavily in an effort to catch her breath in the thin, cold Northern air. Valkyrie sighed and she continued on, wading through the snow, making her way towards the hot springs. She was cold and hungry and thought the place that those crazy stallions relished in and perhaps abused. She smirked and muttered, "Typical. So typical of a stupid, dumb stallion. Abuse anything and everything in sight."

After what felt like an eternity in the brutal cold, she caught a glimpse of the patchy, out-of-place green and the steam that rose up like spirits of the dead warning any to turn back or perhaps to lure one to a sweet demise. She tried to run through the snow but stumbled multiple times until the snow tapered off enough that she could actually run.
Her legs brought her to the rims of the hot springs a lot faster than she expected and she came to a skittering, bouncing halt before she lost control of herself and plummet into the hot waters. "Whoa! was her reaction as no doubt if she did jump in to the water immediately, her body would not have been able to handle the extreme temperatures and killed her.
Valkyrie stared at the water to sniff it and smiled. Her head drifted over to the greenery and with her lips, started to play with and fondle the meek vegetation until she finally started to graze on what she could pry from the rocks and ground.

Valkyrie ate what she could then wandered around for a while. Once she was satisfied that she was safe, so to speak, Valkyrie made the efoort to slip into one of the hot pools. She hissed and squealed with a strange mix of pain and comfort. Finally, after she waded in the hot water, she laid down in the steaming fluid with her head resting upon one of the warm rocks. She sighed, smiled, and closed her eyes while she relaxed in the greatest comfort she had ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

[eclipses]

The black mare moved with clumsy awkward strides and tripped occasionally on the uneven ground, she seemed to have no energy to pick up her massive hooves or to continue walking on her stocky legs, not that the snow helped matters though it was warming her up a little it was sapping what energy she had. Her frame was gaunt and thin you could count the ribs and see her bones sliding underneath her scarred and dull coat, there was little in the way of muscle left on her once proud body, her pelt was dull and thick in an attempt to keep her warm against the cold of the north, but wasting away did little to help and her muscles trembled when she was still.

Leila had not been this far north before, while she had spent some time in the weaklands she hadn’t been south in some time and wasn’t sure if she missed it, while she had made friends they had gone and the rumours of a plague spreading across the land and the evidence left behind had sent her running north or walking slowly away from where she knew to somewhere she didn’t, a sense of adventure perhaps, or just fear? This was why she was currently struggling to walk through knee deep snow and thin air, she wasn’t sure why she had come this far or this high but did there need to be a reason for her to wander aimlessly? There was after all nothing left for her in the south not that she was more hopeful of finding anything in the north, but then she didn’t even know what she was looking for, maybe she should just turn around, head back the way she came and find somewhere quiet to lie down and preferably not get up, it was hard to get back up, it hurt and sapped her strength.

Her thoughts continued to roll around her marred head that was carried low on a neck that seemed out of place it was so thin but it was mostly covered by a long and tangled mane. Her ears pricked and her head rose so sharply it made her dizzy, vision greying slightly she shook her head searching for the noise that had attracted her attention , once she ascertained the direction and made sure the was nothing visible she could trip over, she moved towards it, the snow seemed to be getting thinner and grassy patches were starting to appear, she showed no interest in the food but was quite curious about the wisp’s of steam that were rising, at first she thought it was her bad eyesight or her mind playing tricks but her nose told her it was warm water but she couldn’t remember where she had smelt it before. A harsh cough racked her body making her pause in her stride until air came back into her lungs without further coughing and she could continue her uncomfortable wander through the snow.

She was suddenly aware that she had stumbled into the tracks of another horse and as she slowly stepped her way in the same direction Leila decided the other horse had been traveling at speed but judging by the disturbance near to the rim it had stopped suddenly and then came into her view, the other horse was a dark reddish hue and seemed to enjoying the hot water. Leila was not temped to disturb or join the other mare so said nothing preffering to get her breath back.

But then perhaps some company other than her thoughts would be nice, she stood and trembled as her one eyed gaze took in the other mare and the surroundings, her breath rattled slightly and its steam join that of the springs as it made its way into the cold air.

ooc- It took me a while to decide who i wanted to post with, i chose Leila, im not sure what i want to do with her

[Lady B]

The reddish Friesian mare had lost all time while she was soaking in the hot pools. For all intents and purposes, she should have exited the hot spring quite some time ago because lingering them was not good for any mammal's health, namely the heart. But at this point, Valkyrie did not care in the slightest. For all she knew, she could very well be only one in the frozen North. If that was true, she would be it's Queen and the Universe knows she could very well rule it with an iron hoof and a cold heart of ice!
Silence mixed with the wondrous fleeting blurbs or super soft hisses of the hot spring. Not a terrible smell anywhere but there was the slightest hint of metal on the nostrils and moisture. Her breathing seemed to increase and her lungs felt clear as her body warmed up and regulated to the temperature of the hot water.

The slightest sound brought the red mare out of her relaxing meditative state. Her heavy head lifted, with a very soft stirring of water, to see a dark equine appear through the steam and fog. Her dark eyes locked upon the figure that came to the water's edge and stopped. She just laid there and studied the other dark horse in silence. Not a sound, not a word, until she lifted her head higher and ears pricked to stare a little longer.
Finally Valkyrie shifted in the pool and began to stand up. She disturbed the water, causeing it to protest with splooshes and swishes with every movement the reddish mare made. Slowly she moved to the center of the pool with her dark eyes locked upon the other horse. "I can clearly see I am not alone. Are you friend? Or are you clearly a foe?" Her tone of voice was deep and menacing, all a show to portray herself as not a horse to mess with.
Steam rose up around her as the water dripped off her now stringy mane. The water of the hot springs came up to just above her knees. She certainly kept plenty of distance between herself and this strange newcomer. Well, considering she was well into the territory of the brutish Northerners, she wouldn't take the risk of being friendly.
So for now, Valkyrie just stood there... staring... not removing her dark eyes from the other Friesian. Not moving. And said nothing more until the other responded. For a moment her nostrils flared with a fleeting moment of fear believing that perhaps this dark figure was an omen; not a horse at all, but a bad luck spirit.