The soft, rhythmic sound of a brush could be heard in the evening air as Nellie slowly groomed one of their draft horses, a huge, bulky animal that was good for pulling a heavy wagon and little else. The second draft and her father's war-stallion were hobbled nearby, browsing on the sparse shrubbery around them, content after a thorough grooming. She always tended to the horses at the end of each day, except their hooves, her father still did that most of the time, although he was trusting her with the task more and more. It always made her happy when her father trusted her with a new chore, and she loved learning practical skills that her father was always happy and eager to teach her.
Her long, honey-blonde hair was woven into a long braid that hung down her back. Every morning her father would brush and braid it for her, it was a ritual of sorts that they'd followed since she was a little girl. Always they would discuss the day ahead as she sat and enjoyed the doting her father gave her. Placing the brush aside, she led the passive animal over to where the others were hobbled and secured him. He joined his two comrades in nibbling on the local flora. Nellie moved to the fire and stirred the coals, pulling her heavy wool cloak tighter around her. It was cold around the mountains, and she hated it. Mostly because she knew that it made her father miserable.
Speaking of misery, Tatsu was lying by the fire, blankets heaped upon him as he leaned against their wagon. His eyes were closed and Nellie suspected he was already asleep. He always became lethargic when they travelled through cold places. It made her all the more eager to reach somewhere warm and spend a few days basking in the sun, selling what artifacts and trinkets they had stumbled upon at their leisure. She smiled at this thought and fetched her pot, slowly mixing water, rabbit meat, and some vegetables together for a nice hot stew. It was a bit lonely being way away from the cities. They rarely ran into other travelers, and while she loved her father's company, she did miss getting to socialize with other young people. Maybe she would finally convince her father to set up a more permanent shop this year, somewhere nice and warm where they wouldn't have to travel to cold places ever again.