Disclaimer: I own the Horse Gods, and a few other things. But not Daine, Numair, Alanna, George, Jon, Thayet, or any of them. :(

Authors Note: I've decided that having the whole 'Title/Author/Summary/Rating' thing made the chapters seem longer, and yeah. That's cheating. Hehe.

Sitting Dragon: Angelic? Oh dear. Now I can't resist. And I'm glad we share the same favorite part in books. Hehe, here ya go Dragon, it will hopefully (note the 'hopefully') be longer then the others. Redundancy is good for me; it makes me remember stuff.

Elvenprinzcess: YES! Thank you! I'm glad you like my plot. I love it. I hope its original...if its not...damn. Hehe. Thanks for reviewing!

CT Hates Krazy Slobbering Idiots: I am going to call you that now. I like it. Gainel is one of my favorites. And have you heard of the quiet before the storm? ;) Enjoy.

***

Daine woke at dawn by habit, and shook the squirrels and Kitten out of her blankets. She grinned slightly as she rolled up her bedroll. Poking Numair to wake him up, she grabbed her pack, opening it in search of her stash of bread.

Numair sat up in his bedroll, eyes puffy, hair a mess, and looked around. "Wha' time is 't?" He yawned.

"Dawn." His student answered, yanking out the sack with triumph.

He looked at it curiously and stood, stumbling out of the clearing and into the bushes. The mage came back several minutes later looking more awake.

Daine was passing out bread to Kitten and a fox. The latter scampered at the sight of the man, and Kitten whistled a good morning to him. He accepted a piece of bread and munched on it disinterestedly.

They said nothing until they were packed and well away from the clearing.

Daine watched Numair slump in Spots' saddle, and she readjusted herself in her own. Cloud was still huffing.

'You could have brought Spots and I in the clearing! The Badger knows us both, and its not as if we aren't both used to camp sites!' The pony's ears were twitching agitatedly.

'You tell her, Cloud.' Spots chimed in, before adding, 'And try to get the Stork Man off me early. He's bouncing worse then usual.'

Daine sighed, 'Cloud, have you noticed anything ... different, about the places that we visit?'

The mare considered it, 'Well, there have been fewer People about. It's almost as if their Gods had up and deserted them.'

Spots snorted, 'Please. We're still here, and I know Proudhoof would never desert us.'

'Who's Proudhoof?' Daine asked curiously.

'Proudhoof is the Sire of all the Herds. Any stallion or gelding will swear by him. We mares prefer to hail the Mother Dam, or Quickfoot.' Cloud said proudly. Spots sulked.

Numair let Spots drift close to Daine and Cloud. The pony bared her teeth at the tall gelding and he flattened his ears for a moment. "Who are you talking to?" He asked quietly.

"Spots and Cloud." Daine answered, smiling slightly as Numair gave his gelding a look that clearly said Spots was gossiping.

"What about?" He asked curiously.

"Horse stuff." She grinned at his resigned expression.

"What sort of 'horse stuff'?" He sighed.

"Their gods." He nodded in understanding.

Daine lowered her voice, "Its six days to the Spring Equinox. These woods should be teaming with game and predators. I can hardly hear a bird within a mile. There are no hedgehogs, or squirrels. No wolves, no one. I'm feeling a distinct lack of People, Numair."

Numair sighed, "I know, Sweetling. It's almost as if they've been warned away."

'The Gods.' Cloud whispered.

'What about them?' Daine asked curiously.

Spots answered, 'Cloud and I have discussed it. We are in agreement that half of us, of our bodies, feel like dying just at the thought of carrying humans on our backs. We think that it is Proudfoot and Quickfeet warning us away from all human contact.'

Daine nodded, and Numair wished for the thousandth time that he could understand the interaction between animals and Daine. "So..?"

"They think the Animal Gods are keeping animals away from humans."

Numair frowned, and prodded Spots into a trot.

***

Gainel sighed. Time to wake up Daine.