I would honestly love you now,
But I would lovingly let you down.
The sides of his barrel rose and fell in sharp, staccato patterns. His pink nostrils flared as his lungs burned, yearning for more breath. But his blue eyes stared down his opponent in the aftermath of their scuffle. Dust still hung in the air from where their hooves and legs had clashed. It coated his otherwise pale nose in a grey sheen. Sweat began to dampen his two-toned coat along his neck and chest. He felt the sting of a fresh blemish near his hip now that the adrenaline rush of the fight was fading. It throbbed with acute pangs, which radiated down his hind limb every time he tried to shift his weight to bear evenly over his hind end. He winced every so often from the pain.
But it was worth it.
Jabari sucked in one more deep breath, before firing off a hoarse call for Calypso. It was time for them to leave this place, finally. The painted Prairie stallion felt free all of a sudden. He reveled in the sensation of the dimming sun on his back now as the stars overhead began to appear in the darkening sky. They could be home, on Luthien, before the morning.
He waited for Calypso to emerge, but didn't take his eyes off the silver bay stallion. Despite his defeat, Jabari knew just how cunning the King of Paradise was. He was bound to hold a grudge. 'Rougaru." He said gruffly, an ear twitching atop his skull. "I know you won't let this go, but I implore you to reconsider." He said, wincing as he stiffened his posture, raising his head high over his withers. "Whatever anger you have for me should be directed toward me - not Shamwari, and not his family." He bat his red tail over his haunches as his gaze veered for just a second to look through the trees and vines all around them. "What happened to Celestria, well, I'm not even sure where to begin. But I'm sure you understand she targeted me only as a way to help you. And she was successful in causing me and my family a great deal of pain. But despite all that, she didn't deserve the end that came for her."
He paused for a moment, his jaws clenching uncomfortably as he waited to gauge Rougau's reaction. "As for Calypso, she deserves to be happy. All I want to do is make her happy. She will be with her mother - Caesisus - on Luthien. I will die before I let anything happen to her. You have my word." Jabari held his breath now, thinking of Caesisus and Shamwari's anger, upon hearing Rougaru had captured her during the war. But perhaps Jabari could smooth things over before his father attempted to escalate things further. "Our family came to an agreement with Warsaw. Shamwari is hardly a friend, but there is an understanding. Why can't we strive for the same?"
Stallion | Brienne x Shamwari | Chesnut Overo | 15.2 h| Photo © Carina Mailwald | © Vinyl |
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