worstsin | (no subject)

The Iron Bull had given Geralt a decent lead, a possible way to find reasonable storage for a horse, over the winter, when he couldn't simply let her rest safely at camp. Every day that passed made Geralt more eager to gave an animal again, both for the convenience, and for the fact that every witcher -- whether he admitted it or not -- had spent an evening explaining the details of the coming hunt to his horse beneath a starry sky.

The directions sent him reliably in the right direction, and once Geralt was close enough, he caught first the scent of wood fire and cooked food, and then, soon after, a mixture of individuals, Cremisius Aclassi among them. It was easy to zero in on the property after that.

The evening light was gold, and the trees out in the country were already just starting to change their colors, losing enough of their leaves that the ground crackled with them, and the air was crisp with the smell. One, blowing in the breeze, fluttered into Geralt's face, and he batted it away.

Cresting over a low hill, he saw it, not very far at all in the distance. A cozy-looking white farmhouse, and a barn situated nearby.

He heard the sound of dogs barking. His hackles rose, unbidden, but he'd been warned to approach the house openly, visibly.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Krem knew about Gerald's magical ability, having seen a bit of it in action when they'd worked on the beach. Even beyond, he knew a number of apostates, hedge witches, and mages, as was the nature of Tevinter and being a Charger. So he nodded in understanding.

Gannicus's quiet, curious enthusiasm made him smile. He pressed a kiss over his ear and then turned the smile on Geralt comfortably.

"We should be ready for her within a few days, I imagine. Long enough to put in a stall door and make sure Hild knows she'll be there. Do you want us to keep the dogs from nosing around too much?"

"No, actually," Geralt said, conveying what emphasis his voice couldn't with his hands. He often supplemented with gesticulation, when the lack of enthusiasm in his voice wouldn't do.

"Let the dogs hang around her as much as possible, and anyone else, too. She'll be a witcher's horse, she'll need to be even-tempered and hardy. Well-socialized, used to chaos, loud noises, animals, magic and bombs. I don't want her growing up skittish or too precious. She ought to be a good, sweet, working animal."

And any troubles beyond the usual he might have, he could always fix with a quick spell on the horse, to keep her from bucking or bolting.

"I know that there are other transportation options here in the city, motorcycles for example, but I don't think they'd ever be able to fill all of the necessary roles a horse would. Or cover the terrain I need to cover."

"You should have Bull out here," Gannicus said, looking toward Krem. If a horse could handle the sight of him, surely there wasn't much that would throw it off. "Aster will test her patience."

The red dog was a good animal, but maybe more curious than he should be. Bran made up for it with abundant caution.

"There is no replacing a good horse," Gannicus admitted. He hadn't done much riding since he'd been taken from his people, not until he'd joined Spartacus's rag-tag army. Not until they'd raided enough to have horses.

"I'm sure he'll be over plenty, but I'll make sure he harasses the horse from time to time," Krem said with a soft laugh and a shake of his head. The dogs would be easy enough, since they were regularly out with them when they did chores. Other than that, Aggie was the oddest thing about the place that went wandering, and it would be up to her if she wanted to stare the horse down of course.

He shook his head a little bit. Not because he disagreed. The Tevinter army kept horses, and a few other mounts. Krem rather liked horses, as well. As long as he didn't have to be on them. That was where he and horses began to have a misunderstanding in how things worked, and so he just tended to avoid it, even though he and Eowyn had been working on that a bit.