Julio
*She began jogging faster, nearly at a run at this point. It was obvious that running wasn't something she did very often despite her petite stature. He sure took his sweet time eating, especially the milk, if he wanted to come out here before the fast horses were sold. By the time they reached the stables where the horses were kept she was out of breath.* "Did we.. Have to.. Run?" *The umbrella hung loosely from her hands as she bent over to catch her breath.*
Lois
*Terrel would be standing just at the edge of the stables in the area where they allowed the horses to freely roam save for the fencing. Silently, he'd run a brush along Carl's silky fur while the horse took his time to graze. Glancing back, he caught sight of the two, saying casually:*"Well you guys sure took your time."*Carl would lift his head up to look over to them, shifting away nervously to which Terrel would allow him to go off and trot around the area.*
Michele
"Yeah, yeah. Where's the strong horses at... Besides Carl I mean" *He said to make sure to keep a close eye on Manon. His mask would have been on the second Terrel was in his sight.*
Julio
*Hearing Terrel's voice alone was enough to drain the fun from her. Taking a few more deep breaths as she walked over to the two men with her umbrella opened and over her shoulder. She was thankful for the change of pace this morning but now they were reunited with the Elf. She made sure to stand a couple feet back as they discussed which horse to purchase.*
Lois
"Best to check the stables where they keep them."*He'd say.*"If you're only looking for strength though, it's probably better to just get a draft horse. They're better at pulling than carrying, but for you it's all the same to them."*Terrel would turn his gaze over towards the building, not caring much for the shift in mood from the two. Perhaps he had been out here for a while now to pay much more attention that or more focused on his task at hand.*
Michele
"Ok. Terrel. Can you keep and eye on Manon?" *He asked before continuing to go talk to the owner of the stable. He would talk for a bit. Make a few jokes before giving the man a huge sum of money*
Lois
*For a moment, Terrel would respond as he watched Okami walk off, before eventually saying:*"Alright."*He wasn't sure why the Kemonomimi would entrust him to after the events of yesterday, but with him already headed off to get a horse, there wasn't much to say in protest. Looking over to where Carl had wandered, he'd whistle for his horse and, after a bit of hesitation, Carl would slowly trot his way back over, keeping a short distance away as he came to a stop and forced Terrel to have to walk over to him to continue brushing the horse.*
Julio
*Manon spotted a nearby wooden bench that she could sit on. Without saying anything she made her way over to the bench that was on the side of the stables. Pulling on the inside of her umbrella until it closed. It took her a few seconds to find the string that was used to keep the umbrella neat while in her lap. Even from this spot she could hear the other horses complain about their currently living situation. The urge to run being suppressed, their cramped captivity inside wooden stalls. At least Okami would ease the suffering of one of these creatures shortly.*
Michele
"Ok. Got one" *He said as he returned to the two of them* "That black scary fellow in the back there" *He pointed towards the horse he just bough as if it was like buying a loaf of bread. Even if they were quite expensive*
Lois
*Terrel would pause in his brushing to look over at the horse.*"Make sure you can learn to work with them first."*He'd say as if suggesting that getting a horse was not such a simple task.*"Should also make sure Carl can get along with them if they're going to be forced to travel with one another."*Of course Terrel didn't have much say in whatever horse Kibaru decided to buy especially with him having already gotten one. But it was better to bring up the inconveniences now before they're halfway down the road trying to learn how to manage a new addition to the group.*
Michele
"Yeah, yeah, I got this" *He said as he went around and tried to approach the horse making it aware of his presence early on so it doesn't get spooked* "Hey there. Heard you like lemons. And look at what I have here" *He said as he slowly released to have just that* "Want it?" *The horse would draw close to inspect the yellow sphere with a sniff. Before deciding to eat it from his hand* "And now my hands going to smell nicely. Such a strange one you are"
Lois
*Terrel would glance away, refocusing on Carl as he'd eventually finish brushing him.*"That should be good for now, we'll change out the shoes later..."*He'd say to the horse before giving him a pat on the snout.*"Go on and meet em."*Carl would gradually trot off, heading over towards the dark horse while Terrel would sit back to watch. For the time being, he would slowly wrap his hair back up so that it wouldn't get in the way later for when he had to finish tending to Carl. For now, however, it seemed like it'll be a simple meet and greet until Okami settled with his new horse.*
Michele
"There we go. Now the owner said you were quite new and didn't have a name yet. Huh?" *Kibaru said before thinking a bit* "Anyone else got any ideas on names" *The horse seemed a little wild. Almost acted like it didn't even noticed Carl.*
Lois
*Carl would give a quiet huff of air, eventually drawing away from the horse as he trotted off. Terrel would watch the two, giving a slow shake of his head. This was either gonna end badly or take a while for them. At the mention of potential names, Terrel would say:*"Pitch is a start."
Michele
"Not bad. Not bad" *He said as he nodded with the satisfying name* "How about you Manon. Have any recommendations?" *He would look to Manon as he pondered a few names*
Julio
*She turned her head to look at Okami then to the horse. She didn't really know good animal names, animals in the wild don't have names.* "Pitch is fine, I don't really know what to say." *She supposed she could ask the horse for it's opinion but she'd rather not have Okami look at her like she's a freak. Unlatching her umbrella and opening the purple fabric. With the wooden bar across her shoulder she stood beside Okami.* "He looks like a Pitch."
Michele
"Pitch it is. What do you think bud?" *He asked the horse with a smile* "I should probably get use to riding you. You look like you might bite if I try to mount" *He said with a slight laugh* "Wouldn't be the first"
Julio
*She whipped her head in the direction of Okami. Her expression resembled surprised as he casually just exposed her once again.* "I'm sorry! Are you going to keep this up until we have dinner?" *She spun around to return to her seat, intentionally brushing him with the umbrella. She walked past Terrel without so much a glance in his direction. He'd just provoke her anyways if she spoke to him and she found herself exhausted when around him.*
Lois
"Trust me, if that horse doesn't want you to Mount him, he'll do much worse than bite."*He'd say before Manon suddenly spoke out in reference to what Okami said. Terrel wasn't exactly sure what set her off, but that was nothing new for him at this point. He'd stand up as she passed, watching her return to her seat before deciding to refocus on getting Kibaru situated with his horse.*"You'll have to be a bit more careful this time. Carl has been ridden for years and Pitch..."*He'd say, pausing as he'd look the horse over.*"Well we don't know yet."*Over the years Terrel had grown used to riding Carl, after all he was a family horse. Though when it came to new horses that potentially have never had a rider, there was no saying how they'd react.*
Michele
"You're not the first either" *He responded to her with a smirk slightly visible* "And I asked the owner about him. It's his only maid horse he had and the horse was giving him some trouble. So I took him off of his hands. Apparently no one can ride it"
Lois
*Terrel would bring his gloved hand slowly to his face in a light facepalm as Kibaru explained about the horse.*"And in your mind... It was a good idea to get the most difficult horse in the stable when you know little about riding a horse..."*Times like this, he wondered why it even surprised him. Either way they were going to have to figure out this horse, whether the horse liked it or not or any of them for that matter. With any luck they won't be attempting to travel today.*
Michele
"It's the saddle he uses. The material on the bottom would irritate anyone." *He said with a smile* "Just need to get the right material and adjust the saddle a little"
Lois
"Whatever makes em happier."*He'd say, deciding to go along with Kibaru's statement.*"Do you want to try leading him around the field or attempting bareback?"*The Elf would question, figuring either would sound like a reasonable idea to the Kemonomimi.*
Michele
"Bareback. How do i even mount him in that case?" *He asked with a concerned look*
Lois
"The same way you'd mount an elephant."*He'd say in a neutral tone.*"It's never recommended, but if the saddle won't work you can always give it a try if you aren't afraid of sliding off."
Michele
"I mean. How do I get on. There's no footing to get up there. And how will I remain in control?" *Kibaru said as he shook his head. He would jump over the fence and walk to the horse* "Hey there Pitch" *He said as he gave the newly bought horse a few firm pats*
Lois
"They don't say it's not recommended for nothing."*He'd answer.*"You'd either need to be a good climber or have enough elevation on them, then you'll have to learn how to steer only using your legs as cues."*The Elf would watch him walk over to the horse, deciding to go over to grab his own as well.*
Michele
"I would much rather not even try it then. Think I'll be fine with just getting to know Pitch her. Isn't that right?"
Lois
*Terrel would give a brief nod, a light grin forming on his face in memory of getting to know the horses. Carl was always the family favorite, his as well, but there was always something about learning to work with a new horse. Maybe it was just the farming side of him. Giving Carl a light pat on the snout, he'd say in a low tone:*"Lets go Carl... We'll get to know them slowly..."*Gradually he'd tug at his horse's lead, encouraging him to come along just to the edge of the fence. Looking at it, he couldn't help but feel tempted in re-teaching Carl the basic courses. How long it's been since he rode around and hopped fences just for the fun of it? Maybe whenever Okami found himself busy with Pitch he could give it his own try again.*
Michele
*Kibaru would then pull a lead from his coat that he had put in earlier to warm it up a bit. He would then slowly put it on and pitch would start to get a little nervous, but didn't do anything. He the took the lead in hand and started slowly walking around with her but he was having some difficulty with her as she was a bit restless* "He Terrel. The owner told me I should check her shoes. How exactly do I do that"
Lois
"When she trusts you enough to let her handle her feet, then we can talk about changing out her shoes. She'll need to be calm otherwise we may lose a hand from it."*He'd say before turning to his horse and slowly mounting on top of him.*"It may be hurting her to walk though if they haven't been changed out for a while."
Michele
"Yeah. Owner said something along the line of that." *He said as he stopped* "But I don't exactly know how to fix those *He said l9oking a little bit worried. He would then pull one leg slightly to check on her feet before petting it go. She would react much at first, but when her leg went down she sighed from disapointment* "I just realized I have no idea what I'm looking for or what I'm doing... Worth a shot though"
Lois
"Ask the owner for the proper tools to take those shoes off. Tell 'em we can do it ourselves."*He'd say to him before giving Carl a light kick to the side to get him galloping in a small circle around the field they were in. Gradually he would begin creating some distance away from the fence Okami and Pitch stood on the opposite side of.*"Make sure he gives you replacement ones as well."*He'd yell back.*
Michele
"I assume you'll be doing that *Kibaru asked him as he moved to the owner after a bit he appeared with some tools seeming a little irradiated. He had six horse shoes on him and he put it all down. Waiting for Terrell to say something*
Lois
*Terrel would pull his horse into a faster gallop as he turned around and would head back towards the fence. In a light leap over it, Terrel would find himself on the other side to his own satisfaction as he'd gradually make his way over towards Kibaru to see what he had managed to get.*"Six shoes? Last I checked a horse doesn't have six legs... Or two for that matter..."*He'd say as he gradually dismounted from Carl. It seemed like they'd only be able to treat one of the two horses and, if fixing up Pitch's shoes made it easier for her to cooperate, it'll have to be her.*
Michele
"Extra shoes for when we need then then." *He said with a blank voice.* "It was all he was willing to part with. Any more and I'll have to got the the black Smith. So if you want to give Carl new shoes, you can have these to and have a Smith make the other pair. Or maybe just were it yourself. For now I'll be watching"
Lois
*Terrel supposed he'll have no choice but to save them for later. Taking the extra pair of shoes he'd walk over and place them into Carl's saddlebags before going back to picking up the tools and heading over to Pitch.*"Guessing you must have outgrown those shoes, huh ol' girl?"*He'd say to her, slowly moving a gloved hand towards her side as he would try to stroke her lightly before turning towards Kibaru.*"It would be best to tie her lead down to something. I'll need her to be as still as possible."
Michele
"Ok. Come on Pitch." *He said as he moved her closer to the fence before doing as Terrell requested. After, he would look at him as he patted her quite firmly. Not as gently as he did with Carl* "Should I brush her to keep her mind off of it?"
Lois
"Be my guest."*He'd say, gesturing over to the brush he had used for Carl earlier. Moving towards Pitch, he'd carefully grab one of her hooves, resting it at the inside of his knee as he tried to look over it.*"Yep, can hardly see the shoe at this point."*He'd say, carefully tracing along the overgrown hoof to where the shoe was mostly hidden within it. He'd grab one of the tools, shifting a bit to get more comfortable as he'd begin filing down the area around the shoe, a sense of familiarity in the process.*
Michele
*Kibaru would would do just that. As Terrel work he would start brushing her. His tails swirling in the air with how relaxed he was brushing her. Pitch seemed still and not bothered in the slightest. If anything she seemed a little eager for Terrel to get to work* "It trust you know what you're doing. If you patch her up like Carl. She'll be running in no time. Thanks by the way" *He then smiled at Man on and pointed at Terrel when he could see him*
Lois
"Yeah... Don't mention it..."*He'd say, beginning the process of prying the old shoe off as it finally came to surface.*"Not the first time I had to change out a horse shoe. Should be doing this every six weeks or so... Couple months at most..."*He'd reach for a nail, holding it precariously between his lips as he'd remove the shoe and place a new over the hoof. Taking one nail and placing it against the new one, he'd say:*"This is where you need to be the most careful. The horse won't feel it if you nail it back in the hooves properly, but misplace it and it'll be painful..."*In saying so, he'd resume his work in nailing the new horse shoe in and making sure it was more secure before he'd allow her foot to drop back down.*
Michele
*With her foot down she would stomp it a few time and moving her head almost as if agreeing. She seemed to be getting a little exited with the feel. But she would tap the other hoove and snort in disappointment. Other than that she was completely still and seemed eager.* "I'm guessing all horses enjoy this prosses. Cause she seems to"
Lois
"Yeah, I suppose they do."*He'd say, moving over to work on the rest of the hooves. It wasn't like he disagreed, but then again he couldn't speak for most horses. It was simply the ones he already knew who seemed to enjoy it. A completely wild horse may be a different story if they even caught sight of someone walking up to them with these tools.*"Kind of a relief to them, replacing old ones. I can imagine a big one for her with these being in for who knows how long."