I would honestly love you now,
But I would lovingly let you down.
Jabari eyes his father's mare with a sly smirk as she quipped back at Celestria. He felt a surge of confidence flow through him, but it was fleeting. The painted stallion tossed his head wildly, while he still pawed vigorously in warning at the earth below his hooves. That is, until Rougaru showed up. Jabari could smell him before he saw him underneath the moonlight. But when he spoke, Jabari's face grew grim. Instinctively his ears laced back against his poll and he scowled at the stallion he'd just minutes before had tried to attack himself. Jabari smelled the sweat and the heat rising from Rougaru's bay body after the exertion of recent battle even from his few feet away.
His blue eyes returned to Celestria as she spoke with a newfound confidence, now that she had Rougaru at her side. She spat at him, once again blaming him for the death of their sick son. Jabari shifted his weight back and forth over his four legs as the anger continued to build up inside of him. How he loathed this mare with everything he had inside him. Her demands were ludicrous. Jabari was free man, albeit weak and recovering, when Celestria forced him to Paradise. She did him no favors. But now that he was physically healthy, she thought she could use him against his father. Was she totally insane? Perhaps she was. The two-toned stallion beat his chestnut tail anxiously over his haunches as he quickly weighed his options. He couldn't not protect Caesisus against both Celestria and Rougaru if things escalated into a physical fight. He needed to buy himself some time, and he needed back up.
"Have it your way." He barked back at Rougaru's repulsive mare. He gave Caesisus a side-eyed look before parting his pink lips and issuing a shrill call into the night air. But the fighting all around them continued. They stood silently while the clashing of bodies and emitting of grunts and cries continued to echo through the darkness and the trees. War raged on.
Seconds passed, and Jabari could feel his heart beating furiously in his chest. What if an ally didn't answer his call? He would do all he could to protect Caesisus for as long as possible. But then his father appeared, striding through the dust that hung in the air from the surrounding scuffles.
Jabari's head rose high over his withers as he watched Shamwari move coolly through the night. He felt a sudden rush of pride course through his veins. If anyone could beat back Rougaru, it was his dad. Jabari turned back to look at the silver bay stallion and Celestria and a coy smirk appeared across his lips.
"You were never my master." He spat back. "You better start running."
Stallion | Brienne x Shamwari | Chesnut Overo | 15.2 h| Photo © Carina Mailwald | © Vinyl |
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