I would honestly love you now,
But I would lovingly let you down.
The stallion swam away from the Inlet with all his might. Two fresh wounds on his shoulder and near his withers stung with every kick and stride of his legs against the waves, reminding him of Warsaw and sharing just a glimpse of the pain the stallion seemed so intent on inflicting on him and his family. Jabari wasn't stupid though. He knew that if it wasn't for his aunt, Vita Nova, he'd be in far worse shape. So he swam, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions, until he washed up on the Common Isle.
The painted stallion was physically strong enough to make it home to Luthien but his mind was a mess. His pink nostrils flared as he emerged from the surf, water streaking down his two-toned body, as he moved from the soft sand into the grass of an open valley. He needed to buy himself some time before he returned to the Prairie. He knew both Shamwari and Petal would pepper him with questions about his brash disappearance, and the scents he wore on his coat. Not to mention the two angry patches of pink skin from where Warsaw had bit him. There was no way he'd be able to blame those marks on a recent spar with Rho.
Jabari breathed a heavy sigh as he stalked around through the brittle autumn grass trying to come up with realistic solutions. This was the first time he'd ever actually left the Prairie in his life. But he was too consumed with replaying the recent past over and over again in his mind to take in much of the detail of this new place. Even if he did come across new scents of others lingering in the distance every couple of minutes.
Eventually he came across a young heavy-set mare with loud, roan coloring. She stopped him in his tracks, mostly because he was just startled to see someone else. As he gave her a closer look over, he couldn't help but think she looked like the mare he'd just try to steal from the Inlet. A little, at least. But then an idea came to him. Perhaps if Jabari didn't come home empty handed, he could hide where he'd really been today. Or at least hide it for a while. So he nickered eagerly to the mare and picked up a wobbling two-beat trot to approach her.
"Hey there. All by yourself?" He asked hoarsely as he approached, keeping his distance as not to hover. A still-damp tail flicked over his rump as he studied her. "My name is Jabari. What's yours?"
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