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He probably should've seen this coming. Really, he should have. The air had felt and smelled different when he was turning in for the night. It had been a touch cool but not too crazy. Paion had stirred into wakefulness earlier than his usual. The early morning light had been made all the brighter by a blanket of fresh glittering white snow that had accumulated overnight. Upon the realization fully sinking in, the stallion had frantically sprung into action to do what he could to collect what plants and herbs were at or about ready for harvesting to protect them from the icy chill. Hustling from his grow beds to his den and back again, bundling up what he could for drying and saving, plus trying his best to gently remove the snow from the plants that were too large to bring into his den, those meant to be well rooted, or those simply not yet ready to collect, the healer had been on a mission! Paion covered up what he was able with what he had available. His busy bustling about had created several branching, interlacing paths in and around his den and his work spaces.

Now, having done absolutely everything in his power to protect his herbal supplies from the snow and ice, Paion stood idle for the first time in a couple of hours, surveying his surroundings and the stark contrast that had come upon his normally verdant home. With his wings held low and tight to his body to try to keep his own warmth close, he gave a full body shake, ears pinned back, almost tucked into his head crest, in part due to the cold and in part to the frustration at the situation.

Paion was so lost in his own grumpy thoughts that he barely registered the sound of another stirring and emerging into the snow with him, at least until they spoke. The herbalist heaved a heavy exasperated sigh while staring dejectedly up at the heavy, gray skies, his warm breath briefly clouding the air around his face. "A blasted nuisance is what it is!" Shifting his gaze to the speaker, Tibantas, a hunter for the herd, looked to be nearly thunderstruck at the frosty world about them. Sighing more softly, he shook his head. "Apologies, Tibantas. It's been...a rather hectic morning." He shifted to better face the other stallion. "It snowed overnight. Hm, admittedly this is more than I've ever seen all at once..." He hummed thoughtfully as he looked at his various trails trodden through the snow. "Moving around while it's fresh isn't too bad, but it'll get a bit more tricky as it melts or if it ices over."

Briefly, Paion had the inclination to turn back to his den to see what all he had stored that could help the possible breaks, sprains, strains, scrapes, or cold related damage if their home did get icy, but pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He'd been working all morning. He could stand to take it a little easy. The healer blinked as a thought occurred to him and he shifted his gaze more fully to Tibantas. "Is this your first snow?"

WC: 534

Paion dipped his head appreciatively when Tibantas acknowledged his apology. The question that followed caused him to bite back another sigh, instead just exhaling slowly. "Ooh, yes. I've seen it before." He drawled out a touch glumly, though this fact was simply colored by how his morning had gone. "It's been..." Paion paused to think back. "I was a yearling or so. It was just my mother and I. She always tried to make sure to keep away from stormfronts, especially snow storms. She was largely successful, so the most I've ever seen is a light dusting, the odd twirling flurry of snowflakes, or brief accumulations, typically gone by midday if anything...Er, all of this notwithstanding. "

Noting the hunter's cautious feather light stepping, his ears pricked forward. "From what I understand, mostly from what I've heard, snow's fun to play in for little ones. I didn't do much frolicking through the frost. My mother wanted to protect me from catching a chill or getting sick. I will say, as I am now, I think it's just too cold for me to enjoy being out in the thick of this unnecessarily." Hm. Probably still a bit too sour sounding. "Snow's not a bad thing, but it can make other things more difficult. There's no getting around winter, but the fact that snow has built up here means that this one is something else." There. That hopefully sounded better.

Tibantas' suggestion perked the herbalist out of his low key fretting. "Oh! That'd be an excellent idea! We have no means of knowing how long it'll linger here and some extra bedding to help stave off the cold would be a great help." He looked across his weaving trails. "I've done all I can to save as much as I was able, so I think I'm done here. We, I need to make sure that everyone keeps warm enough. Some cold isn't terrible but icy winds pierce like nothing else. Too much could be dangerous." His mind was running down the mental list of what he last had seen in the stores. Giving an involuntary shiver, Paion shook himself. "Our ears, our wings, the membranes especially, and the tips of our tails could be most at risk if an especially bitter winter is settling in. Tibantas, I know this is a bit out of my sphere, and feel free to decline if you wish, but may I accompany you out? While this weather is sweeping through, those who venture out should probably go in at least a team of two. Smells and sounds travel differently when it's snowy, plus just for possible warmth and safety reasons. I don't want to risk any of the few Wind Serpents that have gathered here getting lost in the snow because they got separated, lost, and succumb to the cold."

WC: 474