The steely, spotted mare had been on edge ever since Warsaw had called his "family" meeting. What began as a curious conversation, and Warsaw's news of his triumph over his neighbor, devolved quickly into a mare's disappearance. Vita Nova didn't even know Yvla, but as the words dripped from her lips, the Queen of the Inlet's stomach churned in knots. The intruders she described certainly matched the description of her brother, Shamwari, and nephew, Jabari. It made sense too -- that the King of the Prairie would come to steal from Warsaw. The two hardly saw eye to eye. But she hated being in the middle of all this. It was Warsaw who struck the first blow when he showed up in the Prairie unannounced, intent on bringing her back here.
Ever since that meeting, Nova tried to avoid Warsaw at all costs. She didn't wait for him in their cavern in the evenings anymore, after the sun had disappeared and stars blanketed the sky. Instead she and Tavas found their own wooded nook to sleep in. During the day, her behavior was much the same. Warsaw was busy of course, so it was easier to slip away from the rest of the mares relatively undetected. But Nova was pregnant with Warsaw's foal. She could feel the sides of her abdomen swelling each and every day. All of this drama with her family back on Luthien, well, it added a thick layer of complication to these things.
Nova was anxious this day, and as such, she was on the move. She trudged through the light layer of snow that blanketed the higher elevations of the Inelet and made her way down toward the shoreline. Even in the Desert, where she so often felt abandoned and depressed, the sea brought her clarity and peace. Perhaps it would here too, on Tinuvel.
But before she reached the shoreline, she spotted an unfamiliar painted stallion rushing from the treeline. It started her so much, that the mare's head whipped high above her withers, and she skated on her dull hooves as she instinctively urged herself back a few steps. Her brilliant blue eyes couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was Jabari, rushing out of the woods to chase poor Neon. It look Nova's mind a minute to catch up with what she was happening before her. But once she realized what he was trying to do, her ashen colored ear lobes lay flat against her poll and she trotted after him. "Jabari, you idiot! She squealed as she neared him, snapping at his rump until she landed two successful bites near his hips. She pushed her way past her nephew to stand in front of Neon, whom Nova knew was also pregnant, and snorted furiously.
Had it really been that long since she'd seen him? Jabari was hardly recognizable at first. He wasn't a gangly boy anymore, not quite a foal but not quite a mature stallion. Instead, he loomed with the presence of his father - stout, strong, and evenly built. For a second, tears welled in her eyes as she wished Brienne could see her son now. "You better get out of here. Warsaw is pissed about Celestria. He knows it was you who came here." She spouts, shooting a sympathetic glare to Neon. She of course owed the mare an apology and some explanation. But time was of the essence here, and she had to her Jabari off the island as soon as possible, before Warsaw found them.
"Tell Sham I love him, but I'm living here now. Tavas too." She rambled, as she stepped forward and pushed her shoulders in his, trying to urge him to begin walking back to the ocean. "Warsaw... he isn't as bad as you all think. I'm his lead mare." She says sheepishly, almost wincing for the onslaught of insults she was sure were to come next. "I hate being away from you and everybody. But this is my home now. It's the only way to keep peace. So stop coming here, and stop trying to steal from his herd!"
Mare | Evaline x Valentine | Smoky Back Splash | 15 hh | © Vinyl |
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