Adoption Attempt for 6684

Adrian eyed the stallion in front of him. It was a handsome horse, probably an easy 17 hands tall. It’s smoky cream color was certainly striking, as was the creatures thick tail. A Loshenka, that’s what they were called.

”Well, what do you think?” The horse traded asked. 

“Not my usual kind of mount, but a good looking fellow.” Adrian reached out, petting the stallion's nose, the small white marking near the end oddly endearing. 

“He’s a good ride, clever and quick but not overly temperamental. He’ll do right by you on a hunt for sure.” 

The horse butted against his hand and turned back to its feed, unbothered by the noise around it. It had clearly been on the road with the group for some time and had no reason to fear the market or merchant. 

The only thing that seemed to get it’s attention was a fly that wouldn’t leave it alone, the switching setting the rabicano markings along it’s side twitching in annoyance until he swatted the buzzing creature with a flick of his long tail before stomping one of his white socked legs in distaste. 

Adrian smiled. “You mind if I take him out on a ride? See how we do together?”

”Of course not, Commander. Please. His saddle and tack are in the back. Would you like me to get him ready?” 

“No, thank you. Just bring the pieces out here and I’ll manage from there.” Adrian gave the merchant a polite nod, still regarding the horse in front of him. It was on the taller side, and he had been looking for a new horse to go out riding with Gwen on. Something a bit milder in temperament if only so they could easily talk as they rode and not have to focus on keeping their horses from deciding to set off on a chase. 

The merchant handed him the unremarkable tack and before long Adrian had the stallion saddled and ready to go. He mounted and settled into the saddle comfortably, nudging the muscular if slight stallion out onto the road. 

The cream colored stallion had a smooth and steady gait, the horse moving through the crowd with an admirable calm as they made their way towards an open field. If Adrian was going to purchase the horse, he wanted to put it through its paces and see how it performed. 

At first he kept the horse to a steady walk, the white socks largely hidden in the taller grass of the field. The two on the horse’s hind legs were barely visible at all given how short they were anyway. The lighter colors of the horse stood out against the still green grass, but as fall approached and the field turned more brown he was wondering if the stallion's color would make it harder to spot, even the pale striping making it more camouflaged. 

The horse’s gait was smooth and steady so he urged the stallion into a trot, the smokey cream doing little more than flicking their tail and picking up the pace in response. They seemed as eager to be out as anything and their enthusiastic trot made it clear they were wanting to stretch their legs. 

Satisfied with the stallion’s trot, he squeezed at their side to urge them to settle into a canter. The horse once again transitioned smoothly, their long legs extending into a smooth canter that was rapidly carrying Adrian towards the end of the main field. 

“Well, shall we see if you jump?” Adrian turned the stallion towards a low fence near the end of the field. There was plenty of open grass and more then enough time for either of the pair to decide the activity was a bad idea, but fortunately that didn’t prove necessary. The Loshenka took the fence easily, their lean muscles making the jump smooth and controlled as they landed on the other side of the stone wall and continued on the road. 

“Excellent,” Adrian grinned in pleasure, patting the pale horse’s neck as they continued down the road. He knew he couldn’t keep the horse out forever without buying them but he figured a bit longer on the road wasn’t going to hurt anything. Plus, it was proving to be a pleasant ride. 

He turned the stallion towards another nearby fence, this one a little higher. The Loshenka had taken the first one so easily that he wanted to test it just a little further. Once again the horse didn’t disappoint. It sailed over the jump easily and settled back into a steady canter. 

He turned the horse back out towards the road and gave it full freedom to race along the open stretch. The cream colored horse seemed to approve of this as it put its head down, lengthened it’s stride, and ran until the road began looping back towards the market area. 

Reluctantly, Adrian slowed the horse to a walk and dismounted before they reached the crowd. He wasn’t actually worried about the horse’s behavior, but it was easier to navigate the space on foot. 

As it turned out, the stallion led well too. The pale colored stallion did little more than follow alongside and swish it’s long tail with curiosity at its surroundings. 

“Well, what do you think?” The merchant asked, regarding Adrian with a sharp look as if trying to read him. 

Adrian didn’t need to consider the question at all, having already decided to pick up the Loshenka. “I think he’s a good horse. Does he have a name?”

”He doesn’t. We prefer to let our buyers name their horses.” 

“Very well.” Adrian took a long moment to think about a good name for the horse as he counted out the coins for the sale. Once the sale was concluded he look the horse’s lead and started heading for the stables. 

“How does Ivory Fire sound to you?” He asked the horse, and while he didn’t get much more than an exaggerated flick of the tail he figured that was enough of a positive sign as any.