Tudou’s body steamed, his breath creating long trails of mist. Snow covered his head and mane, even the tufts of long hair sticking from his ears. Atop his back, covered with thick furs, Pia still shivered uncontrollably. The snow fell fast and furious, obscuring her vision entirely.

Cold water dripped through her furs and heavy robes, trickling down her skin like icy fingers stealing warmth from her body. Her lashes blinked snowflakes away, but they landed on her cheeks and burned. Pia had never known ice could feel like fire until recently. With nothing to do but think, Pia reflected over the last two weeks.

When the first cold snap appeared, Shun had left them, riding south, back to his home.

“I don’t do winter roughing,” Shun had told her cheerily, gave her a hug, which shocked her, and then rode off. Haojie told her later that Shun’s family bred elite war horses, and never spent the winter away from home.

His departure and the coming winter had spurred Ruwe to push towards the north. For the last few weeks, Ruwe had pushed them hard across the Windswept Plains into the Chean plateau.

For the first few days they’d ridden north, Pia hadn’t noticed a difference in the land. The grasslands extended for miles, but soon it shifted into hills and valleys. The mountain range, which had always been far off in the distance, became more visible. The footing had changed as they grew nearer to Chean, more dirt paths through rocks and boulders, the odd pine tree appearing amidst the grass. The path grew further rockier and curved sharply, and the streams thinned the further north they went. Single file riding became the norm, with Pia bringing up second to last. As always, Ruwe went last.

“Why are we riding close to the mountain?” Pia had called out to Yijun, who had been riding closest to her at the time.

“Better shelters when the heavy snows come,” he called back, then pointed to the sky ahead. “Tomorrow, you’ll see.”

Where he’d pointed, Pia saw only thick stacks of dark blue clouds hanging low. The next morning, she stepped outside to see snow falling from the skies.

Yijun had grinned at her shock, saying, “I told you.”

The thick coat that Tudou had grown collected the flakes of snow until they melted, running down his body in dark rivulets. Pia had wiped his back clean before saddling him. Haojie brought her a different bridle to use.

“This is what we use during winter,” he’d said, showing her how to hook it around Tudou’s face.

The bridle had been almost the same as the one she’d been using, but the reins connected to a leather piece below the horse’s chin. The leather was soft and the reins a bit thicker. What was absent was a bit and any metal pieces that might freeze on the horses’ faces.

They’d ridden through the snow at a slower pace. Yijun and Haojie rode ahead, eyes carefully watching the path when the snow grew deeper. Tudou, faithful and true, never set a foot out of place.

That night, they’d camped on the plains amidst the swirling snow. The temperature, cold but manageable in the daylight sun, quickly grew bitter and biting as night approached.

Yijun and Pia had worked together to build a fire. Pia scrounged across the ground, searching for abandoned tree limbs first. When she’d only found a few, she cut branches off the nearest trees. Getting the wet wood started had been a challenge. Days of training had made fire yi easier to grasp, but in the cold, Pia struggled to find any source to aid her flint. Yijun, seeing her struggle, leaned over to help and soon they had a fire going.

The snow and wind threatened to put it out, but Pia had been able to keep it alive, feeding it bits of wood, while Yijun quickly cooked. Her eyes had wandered to Ruwe and Haojie. They’d been hastily putting up the tent. One tent. A single tent.

Uneasy, Pia had looked at Yijun, who’d been managing to brew tea in one pot and rice in another at record speed.

“Yijun?” she’d whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Why’re they only using one tent?”

“They’re using both.”

“I see one.”

He’d grinned though his eyes were on his cooking.

Before he could reply, Ruwe had spoken up.

“We’ll all sleep in the same tent.”

Despite the months of travelling, Pia still felt intimidated by him. Haojie and Yijun, and Shun, had made her feel a part of their group, but Ruwe was still as ice cold and unyielding as the snow-covered mountaintop to Pia. Never cruel or unkind, but never warm and inviting as the others.

“Is there a reason we’re staying in one tent?” Pia had asked tentatively, feeling out whether he’d give her an answer.

It seemed he’d been in a more talkative mood as he responded.

“More body heat in one tent keeps the freeze out.”

She’d nodded and absently fed the fire more wood until Ruwe called her to train. Yijun cooled the rice, rolled them into balls, and grilled them over the fire while Pia went through her exercises. Ruwe only had her practice twice before calling it quits.

“It’s not safe to sweat at night in this weather,” he’d said, seeing her shocked expression. “Come sit by the fire.”