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Rajen Rajen shivered and drew his cloak closer to him. At that moment, huddled in the driver's seat of one of his father's carts trying to navigate his way through a snow-covered landscape, he would have given anything for a warm cup of klah. He couldn't remember when the journey to Three Hills had ever taken so long. Snownose, a big, black gelding who had earned his name from a liking of snow and the white splotch covering his muzzle, snorted somewhere up ahead in the snowy blizzard. Rajen smiled wryly, or tried to, his mouth was as stiff as the rest of him. It was even to snowy for ol' Snownose. Just his luck he'd started off the night of a blizzard. If he could have turned around, he would have, but the blizzard was so bad Rajen wasn't even sure if he was still going in the direction of Three Hills. Snownose had a runner's sense of direction, but to Rajen, who was blinded by the swirling snow, they could have been anywhere. But he had to get to Three Hills. Reija would be wanting to come back. Hallon had finally gotten himself caught and he was no longer a danger to Reija, or any other woman, for that matter. So Reija was allowed back, and he had been sent to bring her back. Something must have bolted across Snownose's path, for Rajen heard him neigh and then felt the cart swerve to one side. Rajen gritted his teeth and clenched the reigns tighter in his hands. Whatever had scared Snownose was gone and the runner settled back into a more normal pace. Rajen sighed and realized he'd been holding his breath, like he'd done on his first rides many turns ago. Of course, turns ago he'd only road in the mildest of weather. A blizzard was quite another story. For a while, the blizzard seemed to be quieting down. The snow fell slower and the wind no longer blew it straight at Rajen's half-closed eyes and frozen face. He thought he could almost make out the snow-covered landscape between frozen icicles of eyelashes. When the blizzard was had almost died away completely and the snow fell in soft, occasional flakes, Snownose was spooked again. This time he could really see what it was that spooked him and he reared up in suprise before taking off at a wild gallop. The reigns were wrenched from Rajen's hands and lost in the cloud of snow Snownose's gallop had created. As he tried to keep from falling off the cart, Rajen was glad he had listened to his father and attached Snownose to the cart, or he would have been stranded in the middle of the snowstorm by now. Rajen wasn't sure how long Snownose ran, it could have been minutes, hours, or days, for all he knew. It was all the young man could do to stay on the cart as branches, trees, snowdrifts, and the occasional rock tried to knock him off of his seat. The cart swerved with Snownose's sudden movements and Rajen was very nearly thrown many times, but he hung on simply because he could do nothing else. He could barely feel his fingers and he was sure they had frozen to the edges of his seat. Finally, Snownose's steps slowed and Rajen could hear him panting as he walked, his steps a bit wobbly. The reigns had reappeared, but Rajen didn't have the strength to make a move to pick them up. They wouldn't do him much good now anyway; they were hopelessly off track. Rajen looked around him, trying not to feel helpless. In every direction were identical mounds of snow that could have been anything. Even if he had known where to go, Rajen realized, Snownose was too tired to go anywhere. The runner's head drooped and his sides heaved. They would have to rest here, no question. Neither runner nor human was in any shape to go anywhere. Rajen slid off the cart and unhitched Snownose, who immediatly sank to his knees in the soft snow. His liking for snow, evidently, was more powerful than exhaustion, for he rolled around in the snow a few times, flailing all four legs in the air and acting more like a colt than a full-grown runner. Rajen smiled at his runner's antics but he couldn't take too long watching. He had a few survival supplies packed in the cart, as he always did when he went out during winter. After some struggle, Rajen had set up a rickety tent large enough for himself and Snownose, who would warm it up considerably and save Rajen the trouble of starting a fire. Once he was done playing in the snow, Snownose allowed himself to be brought into the tent. Rajen held his breath many times as Snownose nearly destroyed the tent as he settled in but finally the runner stopped fidgeting and dozed off to sleep. Rajen stayed awake a while after his runner was asleep, staring out into the night with only the scant light of dying glows to see by. His eyes toyed with his mind ruthlessly, making him see threatening shapes that weren't there - or were they? When the glows went out, Rajen leaned back against Snownose's side and closed his eyes, wondering if they'd ever make it to Three Hills and Reija. The next morning...