"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Jesper has nothing to say. The black has had nothing to say. Hence, why he has remained, lurked silently, here on the Isle. To be honest, he lacks the energy and the will power to be too involved. He is tired of fighting, and done with any responsibility that requires too much of him. He is quite content to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Leilan, whom he still considers his brother, leads the North. He remains fond of the ice-dragon, even though he affiliates with Sabrina. Jesper had no problem letting her take over his position. He wants to take a backseat for now. Though, the hellhound continues to leave a sour taste in his mouth.
Today, the onyx-hued stallion could be found on the southern-tip. His back faces the arctic wind, coming from the north, while the star on his forehead points towards the afternoon sun, tracking west. Although spring hardly thaws the Isle, Jesper employs the quest-earned environmental adaptation to thicken his desert-type pelt and, line his extremities with dense hair. His dark color absorbs all of the warmth the daystar offers and, when combined with his practical trait, the stallion can more than adequately sunbathe. His long-lashed lids close over his icy-blue gaze. His thickly tufted lobes remain alert though, he is the least bit concerned about a sneak attack. Jesper's right hind bends at the fetlock to rest that limb while the other three balance his lean mass. Throughout the harshness of living here, the black is grateful for his ability to fox-shift and adapt.
His body language invites any to approach. He is calm and relaxed, simply taking in the sun. Jesper would love to strike up a conversation (not new information), whether it be with a resident he has not met or, a familiar face.
stars when you shine, you know how i feel oh freedom is mine
Nashua has been on the Isle for nearly two years now. Most of the faces of the residents are well-known to him. And the Freyr, perhaps the most notable, is as close to Nash as family. His mentor has taught the young pegasus much of what he knows and it usually presents itself in his quick, bold smile. He's been told about Jesper but the chestnut stallion has never formally met the fox-shifter before.
Most Northerners know about @[Jesper], though. His theft from the North had been whispered about from the Isle to Nerine and even made it to the forest of Taiga.
An unseasonably warm spring day finds the striped stallion on the southern edge of Leilan's kingdom. The winds are mild and it strikes a thought in Nash's mind to journey further south. Perhaps it was time for a trip. Tephra, perhaps? It's been years since he had last seen the volcano. Icshia and its tropical beaches strikes something in his venturing heart. This past winter and spring have been the longest that Nashua has stayed in one place. Save for an occasional visit to the Taiga with Yan and his mother, the winged stallion has kept mostly to himself.
He, like many others, had struggled with the fires and consequences that blazed across Beqanna that winter.
Leilan's young lieutenant finds the dark stallion sunbathing and the sight marks the start of a smile on his pale lips. The warmest part of the year would be here and then gone, he knows. Just like an Islander to know this as well and take advantage of the pleasant weather while it remained. "Jesper?" Lilliana's son asks while coming to a stop not far from the Skald. When the other stallion has had a moment to open his eyes, the pegasus says, "Leilan thought it was time we met. I'm Nashua."
Bronze-tipped lobes caught the approaching footfalls of another. The male's steps are without haste and so, they illicit no panic from the black stallion. Jesper remains in his relaxed position, with his right hind flexed at the fetlock and his eyes closed, until the Icicle speaks. Hearing his name spoken sends a tingle throughout the equine's body. The black lifts his poll and draws his muzzle into his breast as his thick neck arches. Next, the stretch ripples down his back. The fox-shifter straightens his limbs and, allows his aquamarine gaze to rest upon @[Nashua].
Before him stands a chestnut male, slightly taller than himself. The second thing Jesper notes is the large pair of brown wings that wrap around his sides. Nashua sports a blonde mane and tail with eyes as green as summer leaves. He has far more chrome than Jesper with his blaze, matching stockings and socks, and the glowing, gold stripes. The black offers a warm smile. The chestnut is smart to offer Leilan's name as that will surely start things off with a friendly tone. Of course, Jesper has enough experience to reserve complete judgement for now. He dips his poll in an acknowledging nod before he replies. His tone is warm and his words are gentle. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Nashua. How do you like the Isle so far?" Jesper allows enough time for the blonde male to process and respond before speaking again. "Tell me, what else did Leilan say about me?"
10-29-2020, 01:12 PM (This post was last modified: 10-29-2020, 01:13 PM by Nashua.)
stars when you shine, you know how i feel oh freedom is mine
Nashua has stopped a polite distance away from the dark stallion. Their conversation holds all the promise of being a cordial one, something his mother would have approved of. It quirks that handsome smile towards one side of his mouth, an unspoken jest. Most of Beqanna knows the Isle as a land ruled by another Dragon king; his subjects have taken on the reputation as an unruly bunch, distrustful of outsiders.
And yet here stand Jesper (once Lord of this place) and Nashua trading pleasantries as if they might courtiers instead of reputed marauders.
"Likewise," the pegasus says to the older stallion. The lopsided smile evens out and finally reaches his green eyes, the glint of them warmer than the sunlight that very rarely warms anything this far North. Nash has been on the Isle nearly two years now and though his stays are frequently interrupted by his travels, it's home for the striped stallion. "Cold, the younger stallion says factually and flicks his flaxen tail, as if it might tempt a stray strand of sunlight to his chestnut hide. "And it could perhaps use some greenery," replies Nash before hastily explaining, "but I grew up in the Taiga. Where the trees weren't towering out of the soil, there were ferns and shrubs everywhere." He doesn't add more; Nashua assumes that he doesn't need to. @[Jesper] probably traveled through the Redwood forest more times over the years than Nash had.
There is a fondness in the expression that follows. Nash looks over his shoulder towards the northern part of the Isle that still glittered with snow in the distance. His wings ruffled against his sides and for a moment, Nashua imagines the journey towards the edge of Beqanna's known world. The aurora burned across the sky brightest there, as if the lights there knew they dancing between realms. He had thought about it once or twice, aiming to fly so high that he found the stars. A story of his youth and the chestnut brings himself back to the present, where he tilts his head invitingly to Jesper when he glances back to his companion.
(The smile on his face tilts with it and turns into a smirk that plainly marks him as Wolfbane's son.)
"That you were very cunning," the pegasus teases, though Leilan had never imparted as to why Jesper might be so. Not realizing that his eyes have changed to a familial (playful) shade of blue, Nash adds, "He told me that you once had charge of this place." The stallion eyes the other curiously. "What were those days like?"
The black stands patiently, listening to the younger male's reply. A light chuckle escapes when @[Nashua] mentions that the landscape could stand to be a bit more varied. Jesper nods and then, shifts his weight to alleviate his left hind. The fetlock joint bends naturally and, his toe rests in the snowy ash underfoot. Bronze-tipped lobes swivel briefly, to survey the land; however, they quickly rest back on the flaxen chestnut's words. The soot-hued male is hardly surprised that Leilan would jest when describing Jesper. He offers another bob of his poll before the black meets the other's gaze. Jesper notes the playful sparkle in the chestnut's blue eyes. He replies with a playful lightness in his tone. "Yes, but the cold and drab keeps others away." The black contemplates how to answer Nash's inquiry, all the while, a smirk plays upon his whiskered lips. "My days as leader were short. Leilan entrusted the Isle to me and, I feel I failed him and my fellow icicles. Things began quiet and peaceful, and then, drama. I was too laid back so, I was challenged. The duel resulted in a win but, with a broken leg. I owe my life to a healer, Caelestra. I was stolen to Loess for some time. When I returned, I found the Isle charred and Leilan back at the helm. Needless to say, I was not a very good leader." Jesper's smile remains, though, his tone is no longer light and playful.
Your delay is nothing compared to mine. So sorry! I hope you still want to thread this out =)
01-22-2021, 10:40 AM (This post was last modified: 01-22-2021, 10:42 AM by Nashua.)
stars when you shine, you know how i feel oh freedom is mine
"Home sweet home, eh?" Nashua jests with the older stallion. He stretches out his auburn wings as if he might shake out the chill that the pair were joking about. For the horses who could acclimate to the Isle, it wasn't such a bad existence; one that Jesper points out.
Apart from the damage done by Castile, the Isle was primarily left to its own devices. It was the mainlanders who seemed to get tangled in political and personal affairs. At least out here, most of the residents tended to keep to themselves.
Nash can't say that he exactly minds.
(All of this is about to change. There is a white pegasus tucked somewhere along the North who occupies most of his thoughts these days, with the impending arrival of their child. A fleeting glance back at the hazy landscape in the distance shows this.)
The pair walks as Jesper shares some of his knowledge with Nashua about his time as leader. It had been Leilan who had left the Isle to the fox-shifter when he'd abdicated, he wonders? There is a gap in his mentor's history that Nashua only knows that he took to roaming the lands. The theft of @[Jesper] explains (at least to the young pegasus) why the Freyr had returned.
"You defended your home," Nashua replies to the dark stallion. His eyes shift from bright blue to dark green. "And when you returned, you didn't seek to regain your title." Perhaps a more ambitious, power-driven creature would. But that does not seem like Jesper. "Rather you appear to want to help the place you once ruled?" Nash asks his companion, looking at the black stallion from beneath his flaxen forelock.
It'd be admirable, Nashua thinks. Honorable, even.
Fitting traits for anyone, leader or not.
Jesper
![[Image: jCdBK6.png]](https://img.nickpic.host/jCdBK6.png)