Firestone Hot Springs weary traveler, broken spirit

I'm excited to get the family back together! :)

The faint sound of another's approach didn't even reach Sorrel's ears until the stranger was close enough to be seen from the corner of her eye. Her body tensed as she fell into an instinctual position of stress and fear, though she tried to make herself look as threatening as possible. Sorrel struggled to force her tail upwards, but because of the damage the cold had done near its base, it didn't make it very far. Stop, she whispered, her voice cracking near the end.

He was bigger than Maman but clearly much younger; there was something distantly familiar about him, but whatever it was, it wasn't strong enough to put Sorrel off of her defense. She took a step back, accidentally putting her weight on her bad ankle. There was a slight twist and a faint crack which led to a wince and her curling into herself, heart racing a mile a minute.