Jean owns the European Wildlife Park on Horse Reality, where the Camargue Horses and Exmoor Ponies roam the land.
| Jean Valade | |
 |
|
| Occupation | Owner of the European Wildlife Park |
| Age | 72 |
| Height | 173cm (5’7”) |
| Family Background | Widower, living in France |
| Link | Here |
¶ Background
Calling Jean Valade a "rough diamond" only elicits a perplexed shrug. Caring not for metaphors, Jean preferably occupies himself with jewels of a different breed. Set in gold by the Mediterranean sun, they adorn the marshlands: grazing, frolicking, thriving.
From a young age, the son of a proud Camargue “gardian” – a mounted cattle herdsman – was a solitary soul. Although he excelled at school and was eager to learn, the social intricacies exhausted him. Jean found the behaviour of other humans strange and contradictory. He preferred being out in the fields with only the horses for company, lying in the soft grass, his nose buried in a book. Literature and equines made sense to him.
One afternoon, Jean was observing some nearby horses when a girl about his age plopped beside him. A long silence followed, then a whisper: "In Devon," the girl noted with a heavy accent, "our wild horses are brown." That was all it took to break the ice. With a surge of ardour, Jean began to report on "his" horses: how their foals came in various colours and only greyed with age, but rumour had it a dark adult lived hereabout! Paralleling his enthusiasm, the girl described the Exmoor Ponies roaming where she was from.
Dusk fell, and Elaine – as she introduced herself – departed with a plea: "Next time we meet here, can you show me that dark Camargue Horse?" Jean solemnly promised, and he always kept vows. This one, however, would take years to fulfil. Unbeknownst to him, Elaine's family had to end their vacation early due to urgent matters at home. There was no goodbye.
---
At 18 years old, Jean was following in his father's footsteps as a gardian in training. Cantering along a dirt road on a warm summer evening, the low sun impeding his vision, he caught a human silhouette before him in the nick of time. As his mount slid to a halt the young man frowned. Upon locking eyes with the stranger, though, his features softened immediately. Elaine. Unwittingly, Jean had kept word: he sat atop a black Camargue Horse that day.
Rekindled affection gave rise to love, and many visits later, Elaine moved to France and was accepted into the family with open arms. While Jean worked as the gardian, she became a tourist guide. The couple married and later had a son named Simon. Despite his initial apprehensions about fatherhood—given his stance on humans—Jean adored that boy.
---
Many years later, they inherited the vast farmlands from Jean's parents. Simon left for Great Britain around that same time, wishing to explore his mother's home country and study biology there. The abrupt change came to Jean's dismay, whose sole consolation was that his son assured he would return.
Being in their 50s with their son out of the house, Jean and Elaine found a new calling. Years of witnessing the ever-growing environmental pressures on their beloved feral horses had inspired a dream that finally came to fruition: the couple transformed their property into a nature reserve – the European Wildlife Park.
They were a close-knit team. Jean tended to the farm and accompanied Elaine on her guided tours for visitors. He never talked much, but when wildlife facts were required, there came his time to shine! Together, they kept the horses cared for and at peace. Jean even held on to his old cattle trident to this end. "Looks threatening enough to keep intruders at bay!" he'd feistily proclaim.
---
After his wife's unforeseen passing at only 68, Jean felt for the first time in his life the deep ache of loneliness. Another's kept promise finally broke this spell: Simon returned, with his own family, to partake in the upkeep of the wildlife park. It was also he who suggested uniquely honouring their late wife and mother: they imported a herd of Exmoor Ponies to inhabit a separate region within the reserve.
Nowadays, 72-year-old Jean cherishes a predictable lifestyle more than ever. Besides overseeing the farm and herds, he takes it upon himself to vet potential candidates for horse adoptions. He is particularly picky! Jean leaves the guided tours to the younger generation. Nevertheless, he still enjoys reporting on local wildlife, with his granddaughter being an especially eager audience of one – a comfortable size. In recent years, the avid reader has taken to writing educational books, which he meticulously illustrates with charcoal drawings.
One day, Simon will inherit the park, a knowledge that fills the ageing keeper with a sense of peace. Until then, Jean will roam the vast landscape on horseback, watching over his equine diamonds. Whenever he spots a rare, non-grey Camargue Horse, a smile whisks across his face. In those moments, Elaine is with him again.
¶ Changelog
- Jeans background story was chosen through a player writing contest on September 6th 2024[1][2]