Would he still be there? If he’d found good grazing and water, he might be. Levi had spoken of the animal as an old friend, naming him Chaucer after one of his favorite authors. She should have ventured out to look for the gelding before now. Had he found shelter from the storm? She had nothing to feed him, but if he’d be willing to come under the cave’s low ceiling, she could at least provide protection from the elements.
She headed toward the only place she knew to look for him. By the time she’d followed the line of rocks into theopen area, her legs were exhausted from hiking through the high snow. Snowshoes would be so much easier for traveling out here, but she didn’t have that luxury. As soon as she searched the area for the horse, she would head straight back to the cave and spend the rest of the day by the warm fire.
She continued around the base of the mountain that flanked one side of the meadow, tucking as far as she could into her coat to combat the wind. Still, the gusts seemed to blow right through her.
At last, through the swirling flakes, a brown animal appeared beside a boulder in the distance.
The closer she approached, the more the form took the shape of a horse, head tucked low against this vicious wind. Her insides clenched. Was this the best shelter he could find? She renewed her stride, plunging forward as quickly as she could.
Chaucer didn’t even lift his head as she approached. He looked miserable. Though he was standing beside a large stone on his right, the wind whipped from his left, with no barrier to ease its fierceness.
She reached the gelding and pulled her hand from her coat pocket to stroke his neck. He was soaked through and shivered violently beneath her touch. Her hand grew numb in less than a minute, so she slipped her icy fingers back into her coat pocket, letting her eyes take in Chaucer’s condition instead.
With his long winter coat so wet, the hair crinkled over each rib. How much weight had the gelding lost since coming to this area and being required to fend for himself? He’d been in prime condition when she’d first seen Levi mounted on him. She’d assumed he’d been able to forage enough,despite the partially snow-covered ground. But she had such little experience with horses, and clearly she’d been wrong.
Her heart ached at the sight of him, almost lifeless except for the violent shivering. She had to get the horse to shelter, out of the wind and swirling snow. To a place where there would be fodder, though likely not enough to restore him to full vitality, but at least to get him through the storm until better grazing could be found.
Moving to his head, she slipped her right hand out of her coat pocket, then tucked the fingers into her sleeve. She would never survive the walk all the way back to the cave with her skin exposed.
With a tug on his halter, she turned back toward the cave. “Come, boy. Let’s get you help.”
The horse didn’t step willingly, but she finally coaxed him into following. Once they were moving in a steady rhythm, walking seemed easier for him, though he wobbled at times. Surely once she got him to a better place, away from the wind and frigid moisture, he would be steadier.
Would the shelter of the trees be enough?Lord, help me find a good place for him. This horse had served Levi so faithfully. She couldn’t allow him to die at the mercy of this weather. Nor from starvation.
What could she find for him to eat? One of the tribes they traded with had a few ponies, and they’d mentioned feeding the animals bark through the winter. They also brought the horses into their homes during colder times. Could she get Chaucer to enter the cave? He walked beside her with his head dipped low, no longer the grand mount from only a few days ago. It seemed a greater question of whether the horse could climb the hill.
If she couldn’t find decent shelter for him in the trees, she would attempt to bring him into the cave. If he wouldn’t enter where she and Levi were staying, perhaps the other cave the searchers had discovered would work better for him.
It seemed to take three times as long to reach the grove of trees, and while the branches overhead sheltered them from some of the snow, wind still whipped fiercely. When she allowed Chaucer to stop beside a grouping of three trunks close together, the horse dropped his head again, nose nearly bowing to the ground. Within moments, his shaking had resumed.
Even if he was no longer pelted by constant moisture, the icy wind wouldn’t allow him to dry or warm very quickly. The poor gelding didn’t have any excess flesh to help insulate against the elements. If she left him here, she wouldn’t be able to rest for worry.
“Come, boy. Let’s find a better place.” This time when she took up his halter, he followed without hesitation.
Climbing the mountain proved harder for the gelding, but together they maneuvered the slope. Several times, she had to brace her feet and pull with both hands to encourage him to expend the effort necessary for the climb.
At last, they reached the juniper tree marking the entrance to the cave. Audrey patted the horse’s neck for encouragement but kept him moving past the branches. He’d already stepped into the cave before he seemed to realize his surroundings were different.
He stopped, nostrils flaring, though his head stayed low.
“Thatta boy.” She stroked his neck again, then tugged him forward.
Finally away from the piercing wind, her body began torelax, as though she could breathe for the first time since leaving the cave. The warmth flowing from the fire around the corner eased the strain in her muscles.
She focused her attention on the horse again and tugged his halter. “Come, boy.”
He took a tentative step forward, and with her next pull, he moved again. But after two more steps, he halted, nose flaring once more. They’d almost reached the curve in the stone that would reveal Levi and their fire. Its glow already lit the cavern around them, and the heat felt glorious. But that scent of smoke might be what worried the horse.
She stroked his neck over and over, speaking calming words until the horse no longer snorted his apprehension. If he would go no farther, this would still be a safe place for him to wait out the storm.
She needed to rub Chaucer dry and find something to feed him. Water too. Even with the abundance of snow, he probably hadn’t been able to drink for a while. If he had tasted the snow, that might have contributed to his cold. She could warm water over the fire to help bring his temperature up.
When the horse stood quietly, his head lowered in rest, she gave him a final stroke. “Stay here while I get something to help you feel better.” Surely the gelding wouldn’t go back out into the weather on his own. Maybe she should find a way to tie him, just in case.
Leaving the horse, she turned the corner in the cave to gather what she could to help him. Levi had likely heard her speaking and wondered who she’d brought.
But a glance at him showed him still asleep. Or ... perhaps just waking up.
