i feel a bad moon rising | jesper

[Lepis]

spice up
that quote

Though there were other tasks that held priority, finding Jesper was not the least of them. Her own captive friend, her scattered family, and seizing control (however peaceful it had been), come before correcting the mistakes that her former husband had made. Lepis finds him one early spring day, not far from the canyon where Wolfbane had escorted him upon arrival. The bright sun is warm on her back, and she holds her wings loosely to better feel the cool breeze between the feathers. Spring is her favorite season in Loess, and there remains a faint smile on her face as she approaches the black stallion.

“Loess is under new leadership,” she tells him by way of introduction. “You are free to return to Icicle Isle, though I cannot promise you will find it as you left it.”

The dun mare does not elaborate further, but nor does she turn away and depart immediately. Instead she falls quiet, her blue-grey gaze drifting over the red walls of the cliffs and canyons. If Jesper has anything to say she will hear it, her remaining says, but if he would rather leave immediately she will not stop him.

”Though if you see Neverwhere, remind her of the danger that Wolfbane poses each moment that he remains free.” The bald-faced mare will know what Lepis means. She’d warned them once already, and while there is a bit of grey area regarding the original intent of Jesper’s theft, the dun mare has managed to arrange it to her advantage. It’s a talent, after all.

@[Jesper]

n | l

[Jesper]

Winter is hardly harsh among Loess' knolls though, spring is heavenly pleasant. The black desert-bred steed finds himself sun-bathing, with his eyes closed, when his bronze-tipped lobes first catch the footfalls of someone approaching. His back is towards the sun, allowing his dark pelt to absorb all of the warmth of its rays. His right hind rests on his jagged toe with his bronze-streaked tail idly dangling past his hocks. His poll holds his refinely chiseled head above his withers with his tufted ears at rest.

His delicate nares recognize Lepis' perfume before her slippery words break the silence between them. He sighs, in anticipation that his peace and quiet is about to be disturbed, though Jesper is careful not to acknowledge the perlino and navy femme just yet. Her voice lures one of his lobes towards it and, the stallion listens closely. At first, he is not sure he believes her. This prison sentence has been a vacation compared to his last term. He wonders if Loess had achieved whatever goal she had set out by stealing him in the first place. Obviously, politics are in play. And, as the winged mare just said, "new leadership" resulted from several chess moves. Jesper reminds himself that he took himself out of the game by isolating himself on Icicle Isle. But, then again, he did not thrive on power like all of these hungry dragon-kin.

Slowly, the black lowers his poll and redistributes his weight onto all four limbs. Long-lashed eyelids flutter open to permit aquamarine gaze to meet Lepis' slate eyes. He offers her a small smile; a polite acknowledgement that she took time out of her busy schedule as Queen to release him from his sentence. Jesper chooses to ignore her comment about the state of the island he called home. He could careless what it looked like. It is home. It is durable and resilient and, its toughness resonates deep within the black. The bronze-highlighted stallion takes one step forward before easing into a stretch. He arches his crest and permits the wave to roll down his back, then his haunches, and then, through a kick of each hind limb out behind him.

 With his muscles far more limber, Jesper takes a few more steps towards the Loess-Taiga border. He had made a conscious effort not to indulge in her mind games. Though, a nagging voice in his head said it is rude to leave without saying anything. He pauses, mid-stride, and cranes his profile around to meet her slate blue gaze. The words roll off of his tongue in as much genuine warmth as the sun cast upon his back. "Thank you, Loess," is spoken before his muzzle traces a circle into the air, a gesture to the land he stands upon. "for showing me such hospitality." While he is addressing the land itself, he makes it seem as though he is crediting Lepis by speaking to her. With one last smile, Jesper turns away from the winged perlino mare. The warm sun continues to reach out towards his backside. His full winter pelt never grew in and thus, he does not have as much to shed. His pelt bears a glossy black sheen and, the lush greens he has stocked up on, in the past year, are evident in the plump curves of his chassis. With an easygoing stride, Jesper heads home.

@[Lepis]