Jesper
06-24-2018, 03:57 PM
The rays of the late afternoon sun penetrate the black stallion's sleek pelt. He stirs as the waves of high tide lap at his unshod hooves and, gently sloped pasterns. Bronze-tipped ears catch the breaking of each crest and, it's subsequent crash into the sands of the Ischian shore. He also catches the unmistakeable squabbles of the island's native inhabitants - the multi-colored parrots. Nostrils detect the familiar scents of the jungle - the dampness of the fertile soil, the sweet aroma of many blossoms and, broad leaves, as well as, the heavy musk of mature, masculine, equines. Heavy eyelids flutter open to confirm that his senses do not deceive him. A sigh escapes nostrils as Jesper recognizes the shoreline and, relief floods chassis that he had made it home safely.
Poll tosses casually before limbs begin to unfold and, desert-bred steed hauls himself to his feet. He looks around to find he is alone on the beach; however, he is home. Although, he cannot seem to remember the return trip. Nevertheless, with his discomfort around water still plaguing him from his near-drowning in Sylva, he has no reason to remember how he got here. More specifically, how he crossed the many sources of water that lay between the Challenge grounds and, Ischia. Once steady on all fours, Jesper allows his entire chassis to shake in a joint effort to rid the sands that clung to his tresses and, to loosen the fibers of muscle. He snorts to expel the few granules of sand up his nostrils before aquamarine gaze shifts towards the horizon. From this position, he notes that the daystar seems to be slipping quickly over and behins the edge of the ocean. The fading light of dusk casts an amber glow over Jesper and, the shoreline. He watches with fascination as the once golden sky becomes an entire palette of hues which dance off of the clouds.
The magnificent display is enough to distract him from the cloak of darkness that settles around the black. Rather than darkness chasing the sun as it slides out of sight, it emanates from beneath his hooves. He remains oblivious to its ominous approach until a chill causes his entire chassis to quiver. Entranced gaze breaks its focus from the horizon to find his immediate vicinity in the depths of night. Noble cranium pivots to his left and right while pupils widen in an attempt to adjust to the lightless bubble around him. He stands, confused at how only the area around him is untouched by the setting sun, the waxing gibbous moon or, the twinkle of stars. Then, another chill settles in. Except, instead of clinging to his canvas and, seeping into his muscles from outside of him, Jesper feels it first within his heart. Each contraction grows more and more stiff as cardiac muscles try to work through the cold. Each pulse of thickening blood pushes against the tender walls of vasculature and, sends out a wave of pain.
With the delivery of this thick slushie of blood, the cold begins to spread to the other tissues of his body. His already tender lungs ache as they expand to fill with air. When he expels the gaseous waste, a plume of frost pushes out of nostrils and, the vapor condenses to cling to his whiskered muzzle. He winces as each heartbeat grows slower and, more excruciating. Jesper continues to remain frozen as the feeling in his extremities diminishes. He is at a loss of how this sensation has overcome his body; however, he finds himself growing numb with the cold. In fact, the only thing he can feel is a growing anxiety. He recognizes this throat-thickening and, muscle tightening response as the same way he felt when Astarael's aura got a hold of him. The only difference was, her grasp was scalding hot rather than ice-cold. He almost wishes his heart were able to race and, his muscles were bunched like a coiled spring. Instead, Jesper finds that he is stuck here. As he feels the cold encompassing his throat and, closing in on his jugular, aquamarine orbs roll back in panic. The black finds that his ears still flex backwards and so, steed pins them as flat to poll as he can.
Concentrating on his breathing, nares flare to draw in a large breath of warm, tropical air. He senses the resistance as the particles are drawn into his chest. As he attempts to counter the effects of the chill taking over his chassis, a voice in his subconscious speaks. Haven't you known all along, Jesper? You have a darkness in you. You are a son of Carnage after all. You could be great just like him. Others would bend to your every will. You would be in control; you could rise above to be strong and powerful. You could claim Sylva for your own and, embrace this darkness as you were meant to. The whites of his eyes are visible as Jesper let's the words play over-and-over in his head. He could do so much within the safety of this darkness. He could live freely and, cater to his every whim. Sylva could be mine.
It is with this realization that Jesper breaks free from his frozen trance. He turns to the right, to face the mainland of Beqanna, in the direction of the autumn forest. For a moment, he debates the truth behind his deepest, darkest desires. And, in that moment, Jesper stops himself. A truly dark sould would not debate anything here. He would plunge ahead, selfishly seeking satisfaction. Yet, Jesper rationalized and, analysed his thoughts before acting. If he knew one thing about himself, it is that he is not capable of acting irrationally and, impulsively. The ebony equine draws in several more warm whuffs of air before he musters every ounce of strength to face the Ischian jungle. Lowering his poll, neck stretches out as if pulling steed ahead while muscled hindquarters push him through the thickness of his own malice. Slowly, his hooves drag through the white sands and, Jesper emerges from the dark fog.
He continues on as the air becomes lighter and milder until he feels no resistance. Once free, he wastes no time picking up a steady canter as he navigates the foliage towards the largest waterfall on the island. The cascading water drowns out the sound of any others; however, sensitive olfactory sense filters out the familiar cologne of his King, Brennen. When the winged, mahogany stallion comes into view, limbs slow into a purposeful jog. Jesper aligns himself before the noble male and, with a soft smile, acknowledges that he had overcome one of his most challenging tasks. He nods to his Brothers as they arrive, one-by-one and, waits patiently for their leader to address them. The black male listens closely until the end. When it comes time to offer his voice, he finds the tone that passes through his parted maw to be sincere and steady. "I would like to share that I, Jesper, do carry a darkness in my soul. I have faced its vile nature and, can overcome it; however, I am sure it will resurface and, test my strength. I will continue to fight it. I choose to follow the light; to act with kindness and, embrace the good Beqanna has to offer. Please know, this is my secret."
Without hesitation, Jesper follows his grandsire's prompt to pledge himself to the Brotherhood. He repeats back to his Brothers, their binding principles with conviction. “I, Jesper, pledge my loyalty to the Kraken creed: Brothers will be loyal to the Brotherhood above all else. Secondary loyalty should be to the Brother's own family of blood or choice. Third shall be loyalty to the Friends and Alliances of Ischia. Brothers should comport themselves outside of the Kingdom at all times with the knowledge that they represent the Brotherhood alongside themselves; with an eye towards chivalry and politeness. The Brotherhood will not tolerate such evils as rape or murder. Sworn Brothers who betray the Brotherhood will be banned. Brothers who cause offense outside of Ischia, but do not break their Oaths, shall be defended from outsiders, but may face punishment within the Brotherhood.” The black falls silent as the harmony of his comrades follow suit and, pledge their loyalty. As he stands here before his Brothers, Jesper feels that he is among Beqanna's finest.
Poll tosses casually before limbs begin to unfold and, desert-bred steed hauls himself to his feet. He looks around to find he is alone on the beach; however, he is home. Although, he cannot seem to remember the return trip. Nevertheless, with his discomfort around water still plaguing him from his near-drowning in Sylva, he has no reason to remember how he got here. More specifically, how he crossed the many sources of water that lay between the Challenge grounds and, Ischia. Once steady on all fours, Jesper allows his entire chassis to shake in a joint effort to rid the sands that clung to his tresses and, to loosen the fibers of muscle. He snorts to expel the few granules of sand up his nostrils before aquamarine gaze shifts towards the horizon. From this position, he notes that the daystar seems to be slipping quickly over and behins the edge of the ocean. The fading light of dusk casts an amber glow over Jesper and, the shoreline. He watches with fascination as the once golden sky becomes an entire palette of hues which dance off of the clouds.
The magnificent display is enough to distract him from the cloak of darkness that settles around the black. Rather than darkness chasing the sun as it slides out of sight, it emanates from beneath his hooves. He remains oblivious to its ominous approach until a chill causes his entire chassis to quiver. Entranced gaze breaks its focus from the horizon to find his immediate vicinity in the depths of night. Noble cranium pivots to his left and right while pupils widen in an attempt to adjust to the lightless bubble around him. He stands, confused at how only the area around him is untouched by the setting sun, the waxing gibbous moon or, the twinkle of stars. Then, another chill settles in. Except, instead of clinging to his canvas and, seeping into his muscles from outside of him, Jesper feels it first within his heart. Each contraction grows more and more stiff as cardiac muscles try to work through the cold. Each pulse of thickening blood pushes against the tender walls of vasculature and, sends out a wave of pain.
With the delivery of this thick slushie of blood, the cold begins to spread to the other tissues of his body. His already tender lungs ache as they expand to fill with air. When he expels the gaseous waste, a plume of frost pushes out of nostrils and, the vapor condenses to cling to his whiskered muzzle. He winces as each heartbeat grows slower and, more excruciating. Jesper continues to remain frozen as the feeling in his extremities diminishes. He is at a loss of how this sensation has overcome his body; however, he finds himself growing numb with the cold. In fact, the only thing he can feel is a growing anxiety. He recognizes this throat-thickening and, muscle tightening response as the same way he felt when Astarael's aura got a hold of him. The only difference was, her grasp was scalding hot rather than ice-cold. He almost wishes his heart were able to race and, his muscles were bunched like a coiled spring. Instead, Jesper finds that he is stuck here. As he feels the cold encompassing his throat and, closing in on his jugular, aquamarine orbs roll back in panic. The black finds that his ears still flex backwards and so, steed pins them as flat to poll as he can.
Concentrating on his breathing, nares flare to draw in a large breath of warm, tropical air. He senses the resistance as the particles are drawn into his chest. As he attempts to counter the effects of the chill taking over his chassis, a voice in his subconscious speaks. Haven't you known all along, Jesper? You have a darkness in you. You are a son of Carnage after all. You could be great just like him. Others would bend to your every will. You would be in control; you could rise above to be strong and powerful. You could claim Sylva for your own and, embrace this darkness as you were meant to. The whites of his eyes are visible as Jesper let's the words play over-and-over in his head. He could do so much within the safety of this darkness. He could live freely and, cater to his every whim. Sylva could be mine.
It is with this realization that Jesper breaks free from his frozen trance. He turns to the right, to face the mainland of Beqanna, in the direction of the autumn forest. For a moment, he debates the truth behind his deepest, darkest desires. And, in that moment, Jesper stops himself. A truly dark sould would not debate anything here. He would plunge ahead, selfishly seeking satisfaction. Yet, Jesper rationalized and, analysed his thoughts before acting. If he knew one thing about himself, it is that he is not capable of acting irrationally and, impulsively. The ebony equine draws in several more warm whuffs of air before he musters every ounce of strength to face the Ischian jungle. Lowering his poll, neck stretches out as if pulling steed ahead while muscled hindquarters push him through the thickness of his own malice. Slowly, his hooves drag through the white sands and, Jesper emerges from the dark fog.
He continues on as the air becomes lighter and milder until he feels no resistance. Once free, he wastes no time picking up a steady canter as he navigates the foliage towards the largest waterfall on the island. The cascading water drowns out the sound of any others; however, sensitive olfactory sense filters out the familiar cologne of his King, Brennen. When the winged, mahogany stallion comes into view, limbs slow into a purposeful jog. Jesper aligns himself before the noble male and, with a soft smile, acknowledges that he had overcome one of his most challenging tasks. He nods to his Brothers as they arrive, one-by-one and, waits patiently for their leader to address them. The black male listens closely until the end. When it comes time to offer his voice, he finds the tone that passes through his parted maw to be sincere and steady. "I would like to share that I, Jesper, do carry a darkness in my soul. I have faced its vile nature and, can overcome it; however, I am sure it will resurface and, test my strength. I will continue to fight it. I choose to follow the light; to act with kindness and, embrace the good Beqanna has to offer. Please know, this is my secret."
Without hesitation, Jesper follows his grandsire's prompt to pledge himself to the Brotherhood. He repeats back to his Brothers, their binding principles with conviction. “I, Jesper, pledge my loyalty to the Kraken creed: Brothers will be loyal to the Brotherhood above all else. Secondary loyalty should be to the Brother's own family of blood or choice. Third shall be loyalty to the Friends and Alliances of Ischia. Brothers should comport themselves outside of the Kingdom at all times with the knowledge that they represent the Brotherhood alongside themselves; with an eye towards chivalry and politeness. The Brotherhood will not tolerate such evils as rape or murder. Sworn Brothers who betray the Brotherhood will be banned. Brothers who cause offense outside of Ischia, but do not break their Oaths, shall be defended from outsiders, but may face punishment within the Brotherhood.” The black falls silent as the harmony of his comrades follow suit and, pledge their loyalty. As he stands here before his Brothers, Jesper feels that he is among Beqanna's finest.
jesper
carnage x bethanie