I would honestly love you now,
But I would lovingly let you down.
He blinked in rapid succession, his crystal blue eyes wide as his vision sharpened, surveying the strange albeit all too familiar land all around him. The two-toned stallion felt a shiver shoot down the length of his spine as his mind and soul registered this place. Home. He was so close. Or at least, so close to what used to be.
Jabari sighed deeply, daring to take a stiff step forward, leaving the shoreline behind him. Despite the raw chafe from the unkind sea and blistering sun, he could smell the scents of so many in the air here. The isles, it seemed, continued on with or without them, just as Shamwari had always said. The painted stallion felt his jaws clench as he meandered the meadow, feeling slightly more confident with each step. He dropped his heavy head to graze occasionally, but his sea-stung throat did not afford him the opportunity to taste anything just yet. Still he swallowed, despite the lingering burn that came with it.
Two red ears flicked forward atop his poll at the gurgling cry of another. In the short distance stood a red roan young fellow, which even from this distance, Jabari could smell the Lagoon all over him. Instinctively he snorted - having been Cullen's captive in the Lagoon before, Jabari harbored no jolly memories of the place, nor the recruits the palomino stallion had in his keep. Selfishly, Jabari hoped Cullen was long dead by now - if the Peak hadn't come for his head yet, surely a stranger wouldn't have tolerated his totalitarian regime. He stood solemnly, staring at the young stud in the distance, chewing what was left of the tall reeds and grasses in his mouth before deciding to head over.
He trotted in long, easy strides to close the distance between them, nickering hoarsely as he approached. Perhaps he could at least gather some intel from this stranger - get a sense of which enemies may still remain here. The stallion was much larger in closer proximity, easily towering over Jabari. Nevertheless, Jabari stepped closer, holding his head high over his withers before halting a few feet away.
But before Jabari could think of something interesting enough to say out loud, the call of another turned his attention elsewhere. Jabari watched as a young -clearly pregnant - palomino mare came bounding over. Anxiety washed over Jabari as she grew closer - fearing the recognition he both craved and very much did not want. At least not yet. She says his name and his heart sinks. For a second, Jabari flashes the strange stallion a stern glance before shifting back to her. It was when she addressed him as uncle that he felt the lump catch in his dry throat.
"Aiyana." He said hoarsely, feigning a stiff smile. "Wow. Look at you." He muttered next, unsure of what else to say. Jabari and Aiyana were technically half-siblings, but given that he was fully mature at the time of her birth, their dynamic in the herd never felt quite that way. He could feel the guilt washing over him now, both for his absence but mostly for his sire's. Aiyana was still just a filly the last time he'd seen her. And look at her now - on the verge of being a parent herself.
Stallion | Brienne x Shamwari | Chesnut Overo | 15.2 h| Photo © Carina Mailwald | © Vinyl |
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