"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
He had been true to himself thus far. Jesper had made a vow to stay close to home following his many excursions. The latest of which did quite a number on his state of mind. And then, no sooner is he safely home, and prepared to enjoy the comforts of love and family when he is forced to endure the love of his life being held captive in the very torture chamber he had just escaped. He literally got to spend half a day (conscious) with her before she was ripped away from him. They had just enough time to consumate their love before his greedy aunt sought another way to crush his heart. Perhaps, he should have surrendered it over; should have given her what she wanted. But then, who would be around to protect Lamb after he was gone?
Jesper had studied the Beqanna laws carefully. His icy blue gaze scanned every single word in hopes of finding a way to rescue his dearest love. Lavendel had two options: escape into a common land unnoticed or, Jesper would need to challenge and win Sylva's commanding officer. Despite his state of the mind, the black was sober enough to recognize that he would fail miserably and, heaven forbid he became gravely injured, he would not be here for Lamb when she returned. What good would he be to her then? What good would he be to the child she was, hopefully, presumably, carrying?
And so, he waited. It killed him to remain idle. Though, he was never really still. No, he patrolled Ischia's shores in the hopes that she might have found a way out of the darkness. He actively listened, day and night, for whispers to arrive on the wind that his love was all right. That she was coming home. Alas, her sentence expired and Jesper was there waiting for her on the outskirts of the vast forest. She never showed. He called out to her but, there was no answer. He continued to wait until he could bear it no longer. His heart had broken and, he would not let Sylva see him like this. He returned home, to Ischia, where he hid away from anyone and everyone. He wept for hours over the course of days. He had no appetite. He had no concept of time nor did he really care.
How could he continue on? He was simply lost without her.
Umani sees the young stallion and sighs, noticing he seems down. She walks towards him and swishes her tail from the flies. "Hi there, you look like you could use some company. Is everything alright?" She asks, concerned. "I'm Umani," She nudges an apple that she found towards him.
10-03-2018, 10:21 PM (This post was last modified: 10-03-2018, 10:22 PM by Jesper.)
The sun-kissed dame appeared out of seemingly thin air. His tufted black lobes caught her discouraged sigh though his icy blue gaze remained glued upon the jungle floor. Her gentle words settle into his ears and reach his numb heart. Slowly, the weight seems to lift from his poll and the ebony steed raises his muzzle. He permits his light blue eyes to match hers before he offers a gentle smile. Jesper hopes to reassure her that he appreciates her approach and kind gesture. Gaze flicks to the apple rolling towards him before he extends his slender neck to pick up the treat between his teeth. He rotates the fruit and then, bites it in half. Desert-bred stallion permits the other half to hit the ground before right hoof extends to nudge it towards the golden mare.
After chewing the delicate morsel, Jesper offers a second, softer smile. He, then, clears his throat as his vocal chords seem a bit rusty. "Thank you, Umani. You seem very thoughtful. I really appreciate your kind gesture. It is a complicated story but, if you have several moments, I will share." He pauses as he mulls over his own thoughts. He certainly did not want to bore her with his troubles, nor did he wish for her to carry his burden. "You may call me, Jesper." He wondered how long she had been in Ischia. After all, he had been quite oblivious to current events as of late. She may very well be just passing through, but he liked her intuition and, her courage.
Umani smiles, seeing his black, muscular body come towards her. She lowers her head to pose no threat to him. She walks towards him softly and gently extends her muzzle out to try and help his achy heart. “Please, it’s all yours.” She says, pushing the apple back to him. She sees his almost meloncholy like smile begin to raise the folds of his mouth. “I’d love to listen and be here for you. I really have no other place to go. Plus, this place seems very nice. I may stay for a while. That is, if you would like me to.” She says, placing her neck on his neck, and almost hugs him.
“Please, you can tell me anything. I’m not here to judge.” She says, cocking her back left hoof in a more comfortable position as she sees him, almost caught in a trance from being so in tune with his thoughts. “Jasper... I like that name.” She smiles, relaxing as he begins his story.
Aquamarine gaze watches as Umani gestures the apple back towards him. She was so selfless; so genuinely kind. He offered a warmer smile than before and extends his whiskered muzzle out to lightly brush hers. Their warm breaths mix and the exchange has Jesper closing his long-lashed lids over his eyes as he basks in her gentleness. His lids flutter open again as her words reach his thinker-box. He listens closely as she offers to stay and listen. The black steed still held reservations about burdening a stranger with his broken heart but, he could not bear wallowing in his own misery any longer.
Unbridled poll lifts alertly to allow gaze to match the golden mare's eyes. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts and then, he begins. "Let me start from the beginning. Several years ago, I met a mare as sweet and gentle as you, Umani. I fell in love, instantly. Unfortunately, chaos struck our kingdom and we were forced to part ways before we could share our feelings. As fate would have it, we bumped into each other after things calmed down. We decided to stay together from that day forward." He pauses here, weighing his next words before speaking them outloud. "The chaos that upset the balance of our home began to seep into all of the corners of Beqanna. I volunteered to go into the darkness as a spy to learn more information. I survived though the emotional and physical scars still come to the surface from time to time. I barely made it home, but here I am. And, my first love was right there with me the entire time. The day after we made love, she was abducted by the darkness. I have not received a single update since she left." Jesper feels his heart racing as he recalls all of the emotions that have coursed through his chassis. His heart begins to race, his breathing rate becomes more rapid and, sure enough, the panic emerges in his voice. "I waited for her, just outside the border. I called for her, but there was no answer. I do not know what became of our last night together. Was she pregnant while being tortured? I cannot bring myself to think she was murdered. I just - I have no evidence one way or, another. And, I cannot bring myself to move on." The male's voice cracks as tears begin to slide down his cheek. He had hoped to compose himself better, but there is no denying he misses Lamb dearly. Jesper allows the warm liquid to soak his cheekbones for a few moments before he extends his right-front limb to wipe his wet cheeks against. His entire body language screams defeated once again and, he cannot bring himself to meet Umani's gentle gaze right now.
Umani smiles softly and feels their breaths mix. She looks at him with sorrowful eyes as she listens to him explain what went on. She feels her heart break for him. "Oh no," she mutters under her breath. She walks towards him and extends her muzzle to him.
"I can't even imagine." she says, almost speechless. "If there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate to ask." She sees the tears and goes over and tries to wipe his tears away, but steps back not wanting to overstep her bounds. "S-sorry.." She says, lowering her head, almost ashamed.
Jesper
