Welcome to Gaia! ::

He gave her a nod and did as she asked. He wasn’t about to try and argue with his already agitated love. The wind grew stronger and the light from outside was growing dimmer as he pushed bunches of bedding together. Time wasn’t passing faster than usual so he concluded it must be the coming storm. He tried to mention it to Jezibelle but either she couldn’t hear him because of the roaring wind or she was far too distracted with her task. She had a tendency to hyperfocus on some things. Over the years he had learned it was best to leave her to do her thing. Jack took a step back and looked over his portion of the stalls, the majority of the bedding was now in a much larger pile in the middle of the eight-stalled stables. He gingerly stepped over the dried grass lump, taking extra care this time around, and stood silently near Jezibelle. He made a soft grunt to try and grab her attention. Nothing. He pawed the ground and huffed a bit louder. Again, nothing. She was far too focused on grabbing as many blades of grass as she could. She kept going back and forth between stalls as if she were double checking for more. He sighed, this was too much. They had already gathered plenty and it was more than enough to block the small sliver of space between the loose fabric and ground. Jack raised his voice loud enough to be heard over the wind, “We have enough!”

Perhaps it was a little too loud. His mate flinched then shot him a glance. “I’m just making certain.” She shook her head, “Umm…we should bring in some supplies too. I don’t want them to get lost in this storm.”

Rather than argue, he agreed. “Sure.”

“Just grab what isn’t held down, anything that looks like it might blow away.”

Jack Frost nodded then slipped out of the stables’ only entrance and exit. He shivered. Which was unusual for a sturdy pony like himself well acquainted with cold winters. His moniker was well-suited. He quickly found a basket full of apples nearly tipped over and a few woven fabrics strewn about. He retrieved all of them and brought them back into the shelter. It took a few trips but he managed it. “This is all I could see.”

Jezi didn’t notice him, her attention elsewhere. He rolled his eyes and raised his voice, “I’m done. This is all I could find.”

His mate muttered something under her breath but with the storm outside he couldn’t hear exactly what she said. “What?” He raised his voice even louder, hoping she’d match his volume.

She muttered something and shook her head and tail, barely glancing in his direction.

Exasperated, he moved closer and yelled out. “Hey! This is all I could find!”

She whirled on him, she was smaller in stature but not by much and it still was intimidating, and stamped her hooves. “I heard you!” She growled and gestured to the fabric lined wall, “But we’ve got a problem here.”

Jack glanced down. The fabric had torn and it was letting in a mighty draft! Droplets of rain pattered across the roof, slowly at first but quickly grew into a torrential downpour. They both watched as the water began to seep under. The duo backed away from the torn wall and growing puddle.

He honestly thought she’d try and argue with him, especially after all that work to gather the straw, but she didn’t. “We need to leave.”

They stood there watching the sliver of light from behind the wall of clouds wane as buckets of water continued to drop from the sky. The outskirts of their home were shrouded in darkness. It was as if they had walked into a black fog. Jack realized it was far too dangerous for them to leave. He felt so helpless. Where could they go? What could they do? Is this the end?

His thoughts were swiftly thrown to the side as the wind howled and raged, snapping back the stable flap and pulling it from its foundation in one startling snap. Two woven posts had snapped in half causing the flexible material to cave in upon itself. “Ah!” Jezibelle dropped the bushel, sending the collection of green and red apples in every direction - most had fallen into the mud. She reared up on her hindquarters and bolted towards Aponi’s abode. Jack dashed after her.

The clay built home wasn’t very large, about half the size of the stables though probably less. Jezi pushed the wooden door open and clamored in, leaving muddy prints over the threshold. He paused before following her inside. They weren’t exactly allowed in there, but they were also not disallowed. It was never explicitly told to them, more of an unspoken rule that the two ponies and human had honored. The nymph glanced back at the darkness behind him. There was nothing to be seen. The wind’s fury and rainfall continued as if the world was not about to end. He stepped inside and swung the door shut.

Inside he could barely make out her silhouette; his mate had curled herself upon the center of the floor, away from the empty hearth and shuttered window. Jack curled up beside her and laid his neck over hers. She trembled under him and her voice sounded so small compared to her usual self. “Jack…”

“Yeah,” he answered her softly.

“Is…is…” She stumbled over her words, “Is this…the end?”

“I…” His voice caught in his throat at the thought. “I don’t…know.”

“If it is…I’m sorry…for earlier.”

“For that? Oh goodness.” He chuckled to himself feeling a little lighter. “You weren’t the only irritated one. I’m guilty too.”

She made a noise as if she were about to protest but he shut it down before she could start. “Shh, let’s just stay here in each other's arms for a moment.” Jezibelle let out a small sigh. There would be no more arguments at the end.

And so they stayed wrapped in each other’s warmth, listening to the storm rage outside, waiting for the inky black to devour them both…but it never came. Instead the wind died down and the rainfall switched from a waterfall to a trickle. Jack raised his head up and looked around. He wasn’t sure if it was his eyes adjusting to the dark but he could see the outline of Aponi’s bed and hearth a bit more clearer.

Jack got up and pulled open the door. The stables hadn’t endured the storm, only a few pieces of it remained upright. Jezibelle joined him at the doorway, “The light, it’s back.” And indeed it was, a glimmer of light could be seen at the horizon. “It certainly is, and we are still here,” Jack nuzzled his mate. They had survived the dark and the storm!