We were drawn to whoever could keep us together
And bound by the heavens above
The minutes seemed to crawl by agonisingly slowly. The fact that Judicaël wouldn’t stop hovering beside him only made the waiting harder for Alessandro. It worried him that no answering call came – had Dances been mistaken? Had the harsh winter driven the herd away completely? Were they too far inland to hear? He had taken a few steps forward and was just about to let loose a bellow of his own when a figure burst into view. Jude had moved to come between them before Dro could stop him, and he stumbled to draw alongside his younger brother, pressing his muzzle to his brother’s shoulder to calm him. Judicaël had the tendency to be a little reckless and rush into things, traits that, when paired with his stubbornness made him a handful on the good days, but Alessandro loved him with all his heart and wouldn’t have him any other way.
The two stood, gazes fixed upon the figure approaching. Alessandro’s blue eyes widened and he turned to meet Jude’s brown eyes, relief flooding his veins and a kind of homesickness made his heart beat hard in his chest. “Fear not, little brother,” he murmured in his companion’s ear. “Our sister approaches, our Queen,” and the two turned back to watch as Mariael closed the last of the distance between them. Alessandro greeted her with a dip of his head, while Judicaël extended his muzzle, eager to share breaths with this sibling he had not seen in years.
“Dances With Wolves sent us,” Dro said, by way of answer. “He found us on the mainland, and told us… That we needed to come home. ” The sooty cremello stallion paused to gather his thoughts, but before he continued his conversation with Mariael, he nudged his brother, and a knowing look passed between them. Without a word, Jude touched his muzzle to both of his siblings’ necks, before turning back to the water and wading into the sea. “Our sister was travelling with us from the mainland, but the currents have pulled her away,” Alessandro explained, watching their brother quickly grow smaller as he swam further away. “Jude will find her,” he said quietly, as if seeking to quell his fears for Tigerlily.
After several moments, he turned back to Mariael and greeted her with an affectionate touch. Scanning the area behind her, he flicked an ear and shifted his weight, flicking the last of the water from his tail. “How are Maziel and Zevulun? Are they with you?” Though he hadn’t gotten to spend a lot of time with these siblings of his, he had known from his own memories, as well as what Dances had told him, that they were close, as close as he was with Jude and Lily, and that Maziel was never too far. “It’s been too long, Mariael, and for that I am sorry.” If nothing else, Alessandro was a genuine soul, and he truly meant every word he had spoken. “So much, so much has happened… But, before we get to that – how are you? Hope the winters haven’t treated any of you too harshly.” He shifted his weight, one speckled, pale hind leg trembling for a few moments before it stilled.
Looking behind her once more, Alessandro addressed Mariael one last time before letting her answer his questions, and ask any more of her own. “It is good, it is so good to be home.”
A L E S S A N D R O
And we tried to survive traveling at the speed of love
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