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The paint with vibrant plumage shivered as he strode through what had once been sunny countryside. He had been following the last traces of warmth he could find as winter set in, but whatever was left seemed to have dissipated. Now, he watched as the sun, weakly shining through the clouds, began to disappear behind the nearby mountain peaks. His journey had apparently brought him into the foothills far from his desert home.

Jericho had grown up not too long after the cataclysmic reckoning between the hippogryph and the ulun'suti peoples. With his basket left in the chaos and his heritage still the subject of some ire between the breeds, he had never really attached himself to any group. He had made some friends in his travels, but mostly, he followed the sun. He had become familiar with many oases and had his favorites, but he never stayed at any one for too long; he was a nomad at heart.

And so his feet had led him here - a place out of the usual path, where the temperature dropped far more quickly than he anticipated. The weather changed unexpectedly, too, and soon, the grayish sky began to release something he had never seen before... Crystalline, lightweight fluff that fell from the heavens. He would have described it as "cloud down," or maybe even "cloud dander," if there was such a thing. Looking up at the sky, Jericho blinked; he felt the flakes land on his face, in his eyes - remarkably cold. Almost painfully so, in fact.

Shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of the coating of white flakes on his mane, Jericho head for the tree line. If he could, he would find shelter from whatever this was.



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291 words.

As he made for the tree line, Jericho noticed that the flakes were beginning to fall more quickly. He picked up his own pace, now worried about his comfort. The flakes melted where they touched him, wetting feathers and fur; his scales did not do much to keep the heat in, though they did a decent job of keeping moisture out. Where the crystals melted, they seemed to turn into water - it soaked into his fur, cooling the warmth he had worked up. His feathers were weighed down with moisture. His tail dragged behind him, and the feathers in his mane were heavy and limp.

Was this the ice he had heard about? He had seen crafty merchants taking measures to carefully store it for sale, once upon a time. It was more expensive than he would ever care to try. While Jericho enjoyed a luxury on occasion, one that was so easily consumed seemed to be worth little to him. He couldn't imagine how annoying it must be to gather it up into blocks to sell... The amount of it falling from the sky seemed like that would take forever to accomplish.

As he pushed on toward the trees, though, the flakes begin to rain down in greater numbers. Jericho clenched his leathery wings to his sides; they stung where the flakes touched them, numbing and tingling as they melted. The skin beneath the fur on his flanks, legs, neck, and nose was beginning to experience the same sensation. The colder he became, the more flakes seemed to stick to him, unmelting.

Desperate, he did a full body shake, his coat rumbling - and then he bolted for cover.


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The trees filled Jericho's world with a scent he could only describe as "green." It was a variation of the aroma he had not met before - it was deep with a little bit of a bite to it, a woodsy spice. The leaves on these trees were different, too - dark enough green to be almost black, laced delicately with the same stuff that fell from the sky.

As he loped through the woods, Jericho heard bell-like laughter, echoing off the tree trunks. Spooked, he put on a little more speed - and out of the corner of his eye, spotted something white that seemed to almost float off the ground. Two somethings, actually.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up the pace. The breeze blew a chill through his coat that he might not have felt if he weren't soaked through. He needed shelter more substantial than these trees... Picking his way through the forest, he headed into its depths, following a rocky path and hoping to find a cave.


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Jericho's ears flicked back and he paused as he distinctly heard a voice call out - but it was followed quickly by a howl that made his bones quiver. He set off again, redoubling his effort and speeding up his pace as much as he could.

These woods felt dangerous.

Finally, following the rockiness in the path paid off. The right side of what had been forest became a stone wall. He picked his way through the trees alongside it, frequently turning his gaze to the rocks, hoping to find a gap. He found one, at last, just as he thought the ice would freeze his lungs - gods, they were in so much agony from breathing in the frigid air and running as fast as he could without tripping.

He entered the cave, which was thankfully large enough for him. Much to his surprise, the air inside was warm, though a bit smelly. He breathed in, hoping it would comfort his aching lungs. Carefully, he leaned up against a smooth, damp wall and closed his eyes.


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The cave suddenly echoed with the ringing voice of another, bright and loud. Jericho's eyes shot open and he leaped from his place of relaxation, turning on the spot - and doing his best to avoid falling over as he reoriented himself to his surroundings.

Before him stood what appeared to be two spirits - they were bright white, and their lower legs seemed to almost vanish into the air! Agape, Jericho could not make heads nor tails of the situation, aside from the fact that these two did, in fact, have those.

"UHm," he stammered, his feet stomping on the stone floor as he backed up a bit in his panic. "I couldn't tell you, but it's a welcome change from whatever is going on out there!"

He did a quick study of the larger spirit's features, his scattered mind taking in as much as it could manage. He realized, after a moment, that she was a soquili - and one not too unlike him, with some feathers on her wings and cloven hooves. But that was just about where the similarities ended. She had a doe tail, a bright silver horn, and and prismatic butterfly wings, along with her transparent legs.

Her friend, on the other hand, was a fluffy wonder. Jericho had never seen anything like him. Something about him screamed predator!, though, which put Jericho on high alert.


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With wide eyes, Jericho watched her walk past him, his head turning as she continued by. When the fluff wagged its long tail, his eyes snapped back to it. "What are you?" he asked loudly, slowly turning from the ball of floof. "And what are your names?"

He followed behind the mare as she walked into the depths of the cave. While the white light of day outside lit the cave with a decent amount of ambient light, it only went so far. The rest of the cave had a blue-green glow to it; upon closer inspection, Jericho spotted what must be either algae or tiny mushrooms of some kind giving off the light.

Their hoof beats echoed off the ceiling; much to his surprise, he heard her hooves, too, despite how near-transparent they were. As he rounded a corner behind her, he realized they found what must be the source of the stench: oddly turquoise, opaque water in a rocky pool... which steamed against the cool air.

Jericho lifted an eyebrow. While he was still pretty suspicious of this whole situation, this looked like a damn promising development.


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"Nice to meet you both. My name is Jericho." Wolf. Jericho peered at the fluff, wondering if there were any predatory impulses between his cute ears. The sharp teeth had been warning enough.

Gazing at the bright pools, Jericho did his best to tamp down his reaction to the stronger... aromas. Gods, that's a stench. He had seen oases that looked like these, but they didn't smell the same. "It looks like a spring," he said, "but the steam makes me think it might be warm."

Edging up to the side of the pool to stand next to Rhys, Jericho looked down at the water. He lowered his head a little too sniff it and gently recoiled. "I think the pool is the culprit for the smell."


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