Sunlight streamed through the gaping wound in the horse' abdomen. The narrow beam swung lazily back and forth across Sunder's closed eyes as the tree branches that filtered the light above the horse swayed in the breeze. He awoke with a groan and tried to stretch before the red walls around him reminded him where he was. He'd slept away a blizzard inside a dead horse. At some point early in the morning he'd lost his grip on the skin and the tear had popped open. What little heat remained in the beast had dissipated leaving him chilled. But he was alive and he would take his blessings where he got them.

Well, he couldn't stay in the horse forever.

After taking a deep breath to prepare himself for the bitter cold outside, Sunder pushed his head through the belly wall. He was briefly blinded by the light, but chose to press on with stinging eyes. Best to just get it over with. He wrenched one shoulder free and then clawed at the ground with the accompanying paw until he could wiggle the second out. The sides of the horse's belly were stiff with cold and made a noise akin to cracking glass as he broke free.

Next came his abdomen. Sunder grumbled as the place the horse had kicked him was scraped but he pressed on. He had yet to look at the wound and was almost afraid to. It was awfully tender and he was a bit afraid the horse had done serious harm. Sunder had no healing experience so if he was seriously hurt he would have no choice but to deal with it.

With a crunchy pop he was free, standing naked as a jaybird on the frosty entrails of a horse in the middle of a snowy forest. The fierce wind blowing through the trees immediately had him regretting the decision but what was a dog to do?

Hirundo had been attracted by the smell of death and had sent Nihil out to investigate. The caws he used indicated what he had seen had upset and scared him. It was of no matter to Hirundo. The horse moved silently through the woods, like a small ripple in time. She had stopped in the night before to curl up in the shallow root of some large tree to bear the sharp cold. The cold had stilled the woman's advance for much longer than she would have liked, but nonetheless, she was on her way again.

Her gait was relaxed, and her companion continually pecked at her ears and cawed aggressively at the woman. He seemed extremely fearful of what they would find. However, the golden woman seemed unbothered.

Eventually, the scent was almost overwhelming, and the woman stopped to chuff as she tried to pinpoint the source of the smell. Her eyes spotted movement to her left, and the woman silently moved so that her head was visible through the gaps in the trees. Her eyes fell to the source of the smell, and the woman gingerly moved closer, her expression impassive. She seemed to completely ignore the canine, her muzzle brushing gently over the chill corpse of the horse. Her companion was watching the..thing with a sharp gaze, his feathers ruffled and claws dug protectively into the mare's sides.

Climbing out of the body had been a terrible idea. At least in there he was protected from the elements. Now the greasy fluids and the blood on his skin threatened to freeze to him under the ferociously whipping wind. This was his only option, however. The cooling of the corpse had not been lost on him. Soon enough it would be just as dangerous as the world beyond. The only difference being that he likely wouldn't have realized it until it was too late and he'd lost too much body heat. He needed to get moving now.

At the sound of an approach Sunder whipped around. His ears fell back as he looked up at the horse. He did not have time to deal with a vengeful herdmate. After a moment of inner panic he decided it didn't look like it was going to stomp on him. Good. While that may have ended up being a kinder end for him than freezing to death, he wasn't ready to throw himself under the hooves of a horse yet. He still wanted to live.

Cautiously he inched around the horse's corpse until he was standing at its back. He was going to try to peel some of the dead horse's skin off. Honestly he wasn't sure if it was going to be a complete waste of time, but the body was right there and he desperately needed something to protect his skin. Why not try? At this point his options were limited and growing more so by the minute. Making sure to keep one eye on the living horse, Sunder began to try to peel the skin off the dead horse's back.

Hirundo moved her muzzle away, peering down thoughtfully at the..dog thing. She stood still, watching the man work in silence. SHe was curious, but assumed he had found a use for the body, which was pleasing to her. The woman then turned her head to her small companion, mumbling a soft "ith, fear beat." Eat little one. The crow fluffed himself up before peering up at the horse for a moment. The bird then cawed before taking a small jump and landing a bit harshly next to the carcass. The crow peered at the thing across from him before he snatched a bit of meat from the exposed flesh of the horse.

Hirundo began turning her head, ears swiveling as she fought with herself on her next course of action. Moving south was in her best interest, as the warmer weather was much more suited to her short, glossy fur. The woman was shaking gently, the bitter cold finally seeping deep into her bones. She moved closer to the carcass, peering expectantly at the crow.

"tiormaichidh sinn e nas fhaide air adhart," we will dry it later she neighed to her companion. The crow had laid strips of meat along Hirundo's spine and was quick to take his place on her rump after his work was done.

"I search for a black stone to start the red warmth," she neighed to the dog-wolf-alien thing. She peered carefully down at the being, ears perked as she awaited a response.

He was working as fast as his rapidly numbing paws would allow him. Using his teeth in conjunction with his nails he chewed and claws his way down the dead horse's back. The frozen skin didn't want to peel away easy and ice had already begun to form between it and the fatty layers below. The shards of ice scraped at his toes and even though spots of blood were beginning to well up here and there, Sunder was cold enough that he didn't feel it. Even if he could have he would have been forced to ignore it. Time was of the essence. Alarm was beginning to settle in. He was genuinely afraid he was going to die in this miserable white stuff.

The horse spoke - the horse spoke - and Sunder briefly stuttered to a halt in surprise. He glanced between it and its bird companion in confusion and then cautiously started to dig at the hide again, glancing back at the horse every once in a while. It was only when the horse addressed him that he stopped again. Unfortunately, Sunder's grasp of Boreas' common language wasn't great. He had improved greatly since washing ashore last season, but he still found it difficult to grasp nuance. For that reason he was confused by the horse's words. "Block ston? Red warm't? Dunno what dat mean."

Hirundo's eyes narrowed at the naked wolf's response, her front hoof stomping into the dirt in frustration. She already had trouble communicating, and time was of the essence for them both. She moved to prod at the corpse with one of her dauntingly sharp hooves, ears pinned as her nostrils flared. How could you explain fire to someone who was clearly not privy to the language you barely understood yourself? She made a clicking sound in her teeth before she turned to peer down at the naked wolf again, her pale gaze frigid.

With a hoof, she gestured to the skin the man had worked on peeling away. "Thin, cold. Red is warm. Red, yellow sun, but smaller," she replied. Each phrase was spaced out, emphasizing that they each were referencing something different. Her hide twitched at the cold, spasming softly whenever the wind was especially harsh on her thin pelt.

Another thought struck her, and she was quick to neigh out, "You are naked, I am almost so. No warmth from our pelts." She had once again gestured to the horse while she spoke, pale gaze boring down onto the creature with interest.

"I will make warmth. I leave for it now," she added as she stepped around the naked wolf, her head turning to peer at the corpse and its parasite one last time before she began walking north, towards warmer lands, and hopefully, towards a black rock. She knew she couldn't explain the intricacies of it, but she believed it was a gift bestowed to her by something of a higher power. A gift she should share. If she propped up one of the black stones against a hoof and struck it just right with her other hoof, a flash of light would spark from the connection. If dry wood and kindling was nearby, it was pretty easy for her to strike up the warmth, as she called it.

The horse continued to speak to him as he worked. When her intentions finally clicked he stopped what he was doing and looked up at her in surprise. She could make fire? Was that what she was saying? It kind of sounded like it. Well then, if she could do that, she was probably his best bet. And now it sounded like she was leaving. "Wait," he called after her. "How you make et, eh? I bring da kin'dling, ya make da fire?" He looked around frantically, his expression brightening considerably when he caught sight of a pine tree nearby.

Sunder ran to it and clawed off a patch of bark. Underneath was a mass of dry fibers. These he flaked off in big patches with his claws before gingerly stuffing them in his mouth. What little moisture was in there was immediately wicked away by the bitter, turpentine strands. Hopefully he wouldn't make them too damp.

When his mouth was full he ran back to the horse. and looked up at her expectantly.