Kurt was as good as his word and in two weeks, with help from Piotr,
Logan, and John; he healed the hoof rot hurting Piotr's horse. He used
herbs and cloth and wrapped them around the hoof, keeping it dry and clean.
When it cleared up, Piotr said that he had never seen his horse look and
act so strong before.
"'Give a Rom a sick horse, get it back tenfold stronger.' " Kurt said, watching the horse prancing around. "That's what Margali always said to me after she healed a horse."
"She was right!" Piotr said. "I don't know how to repay you."
"I do." Kurt said. "The Professor gave me money to buy myself a horse, but I need someone to come with me. Will you come with me?"
"Of course!" Piotr nodded. "Get your things ready and we can go right now."
Kurt went back to his room and he covered all of his exposed fur before he put on his gadje clothes, including a hat that covered his eyes. With his money pouch in hand, he teleported outside where he found Piotr and Remy waiting for him on their horses.
"Hop on." Remy said with a smile. "I needed to go and get some things from the town anyway!" Kurt climbed on behind him and they rode off to town, riding through a worn path through the trees.
When they reached the town, they dismounted and tied their horses up. Remy wandered off from them and he went to the general store with a wave.
Piotr brought Kurt to the stables, where a thin looking man stood in the front. When he saw them coming, he smiled.
"A new student at Xavier's school?" he asked.
"He's come to buy his horse." Piotr said. Kurt walked by the man as he started to give out a spiel about how his were the finest, knowing full well that if one of them was capable of getting the hoof rot, they weren't as good as he said they were.
Passing by the frilly looking horses, he headed for the back of the stables. This was where the workhorses were, along with the horses with defects.
Kurt looked into eyes, examined teeth, and checked hooves and muscles on all of them; remembering all of the things he had learned from his tribe.
While looking around, Kurt felt one of them nudge him in the shoulder. Turning around, he found himself looking at a Holstein. It snorted softly and nudged him again, lightly pulling on his sleeve with its teeth, wanting to get his attention.
The horse raised up its elegant head slowly, turning it each side, as if giving Kurt a better look at it. It was a bay color, with a small white stripe running down the front of its face. It's body was slim and muscular, the fur nicely brushed and tended to. Its mane and tail were both cream colored, and they were braided lightly.
However, the Holstein had a slight defect on it, which explained why it had been put in the back.
It looked as if an animal or perhaps even a knife had attacked its left eye, and it was closed over with a nasty twisting scar.
Kurt tilted his head to one side, looking the Holstein over as it nodded its head to get his attention. When he reached out to touch it, the Holstein leaned forward and pressed its brow into his palm.
Kurt smiled, stroking it gently, and he made his choice then.
"How much for this Holstein?" he asked, turning to the owner as he walked up with a puzzled look on his face.
"You want this one?" the man asked in confusion.
"I asked you the price, yes?" Kurt countered.
"But there are others with both eyes and..."
"Do you wish to sell me the horse or not?" Kurt asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"One hundred." The man said finally.
"For a horse with one eye?" Kurt laughed, knowing that Charles had given him two hundred to buy a horse. "You must do better than that!"
"It may only have one eye, but you know the lineage and grace the Holstein has." The man pointed out.
"True, but it still doesn't excuse the fact that the horse was attacked and is now blind in one eye. Even with grace it can't make up for one eye and such a scar on it! I will give you fifty for him."
"Fifty? I paid ninety for him!" the man said.
"Sixty-five then." Kurt said, his eyes lighting up with the spark of the moment.
"I should throw you out of here." The man said. "Student of Xavier's or not!"
"I'll not give you a penny more for this horse." Kurt said simply. "The horse is defective, and you want a hundred for him! You should be whipped for trying to cheat me!"
"At least make it seventy." The man said.
"Sixty-five." Kurt insisted. "Try to raise it again and I walk."
"I'll not go below seventy!"
"And I'll not move from sixty-five! The horse is worth that and that alone!" Kurt said, wishing that Stefan were here to help him seal the deal.
"You're trying to rob me." The man said. Kurt shrugged, making as if he was leaving the stables.
"Your loss then." He said simply.
"Fine!" the man said, not wanting to miss out on making any kind of sale. Smiling, Kurt gave the man the money.
"I knew you would see it my way." He said, opening the stable and taking the horse out.
"I also have bridles and saddles for sale." The man said. Kurt smiled and shook his head, undoing the braids in the horse's mane and tail.
"I won't be needing them." He said, leading his horse out of the stables.
When Piotr saw what kind of horse Kurt had bought, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.
"You chose a horse with one eye?" he asked. Kurt smiled, running a hand down its neck. The horse snorted and licked him lightly, making him laugh as he gently pushed its head away.
"This horse wanted me to choose him." He said. "I could just tell, Piotr."
"But its wound..."
"Is only bad because it has scabbed over badly." Kurt explained. "I can make it so that it is not so big and ugly looking. When I am done with him, he will be the finest one in our stables, despite his missing eye!" Piotr laughed, helping Kurt tie his horse up with the others.
"With the way you handled the hoof rot, I don't doubt that in the slightest!" he said. "How much did you pay for him?" he asked.
"Sixty-five." Kurt said with a smile. "He kept trying to make it more, but I made as if I was going to leave and he immediately saw it my way!"
"You are one shrewd man Kurt Wagner." Piotr pointed out. Kurt smiled and bowed down, laughing as he rose back up.
"Thank you for noticing!" he said, stepping into the general store. They wandered down the shelves, finding Remy at the candy part of the store, buying a bagful of peppermint sticks and peppermint suckers.
"Are you buying those for yourself?" Piotr asked with a laugh. Remy looked over at them and his cheeks burned a faint red color as he paid the three pennies for them.
"Rogue said that she had a craving for some sweets." He explained weakly. Kurt laughed softly and he walked up to the counter.
"There is no shame in admitting that you are buying candy for yourself, Remy!" he said. Turning to the cashier, he bought a bag of red licorice and some peanut brittle. "I haven't had sweets in years!" he said, popping a piece of the brittle into his mouth.
"But Rogue really did ask me to buy her some!" Remy insisted as they left the store. Kurt and Piotr looked at each other playfully, toying with Remy as they rolled their eyes.
"Sure, Remy." Kurt said. "Would you mind explaining why you're sucking on one of the sticks if they're Rogue's?" he asked. Remy frowned and they laughed as they headed back to the school.
"'Give a Rom a sick horse, get it back tenfold stronger.' " Kurt said, watching the horse prancing around. "That's what Margali always said to me after she healed a horse."
"She was right!" Piotr said. "I don't know how to repay you."
"I do." Kurt said. "The Professor gave me money to buy myself a horse, but I need someone to come with me. Will you come with me?"
"Of course!" Piotr nodded. "Get your things ready and we can go right now."
Kurt went back to his room and he covered all of his exposed fur before he put on his gadje clothes, including a hat that covered his eyes. With his money pouch in hand, he teleported outside where he found Piotr and Remy waiting for him on their horses.
"Hop on." Remy said with a smile. "I needed to go and get some things from the town anyway!" Kurt climbed on behind him and they rode off to town, riding through a worn path through the trees.
When they reached the town, they dismounted and tied their horses up. Remy wandered off from them and he went to the general store with a wave.
Piotr brought Kurt to the stables, where a thin looking man stood in the front. When he saw them coming, he smiled.
"A new student at Xavier's school?" he asked.
"He's come to buy his horse." Piotr said. Kurt walked by the man as he started to give out a spiel about how his were the finest, knowing full well that if one of them was capable of getting the hoof rot, they weren't as good as he said they were.
Passing by the frilly looking horses, he headed for the back of the stables. This was where the workhorses were, along with the horses with defects.
Kurt looked into eyes, examined teeth, and checked hooves and muscles on all of them; remembering all of the things he had learned from his tribe.
While looking around, Kurt felt one of them nudge him in the shoulder. Turning around, he found himself looking at a Holstein. It snorted softly and nudged him again, lightly pulling on his sleeve with its teeth, wanting to get his attention.
The horse raised up its elegant head slowly, turning it each side, as if giving Kurt a better look at it. It was a bay color, with a small white stripe running down the front of its face. It's body was slim and muscular, the fur nicely brushed and tended to. Its mane and tail were both cream colored, and they were braided lightly.
However, the Holstein had a slight defect on it, which explained why it had been put in the back.
It looked as if an animal or perhaps even a knife had attacked its left eye, and it was closed over with a nasty twisting scar.
Kurt tilted his head to one side, looking the Holstein over as it nodded its head to get his attention. When he reached out to touch it, the Holstein leaned forward and pressed its brow into his palm.
Kurt smiled, stroking it gently, and he made his choice then.
"How much for this Holstein?" he asked, turning to the owner as he walked up with a puzzled look on his face.
"You want this one?" the man asked in confusion.
"I asked you the price, yes?" Kurt countered.
"But there are others with both eyes and..."
"Do you wish to sell me the horse or not?" Kurt asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"One hundred." The man said finally.
"For a horse with one eye?" Kurt laughed, knowing that Charles had given him two hundred to buy a horse. "You must do better than that!"
"It may only have one eye, but you know the lineage and grace the Holstein has." The man pointed out.
"True, but it still doesn't excuse the fact that the horse was attacked and is now blind in one eye. Even with grace it can't make up for one eye and such a scar on it! I will give you fifty for him."
"Fifty? I paid ninety for him!" the man said.
"Sixty-five then." Kurt said, his eyes lighting up with the spark of the moment.
"I should throw you out of here." The man said. "Student of Xavier's or not!"
"I'll not give you a penny more for this horse." Kurt said simply. "The horse is defective, and you want a hundred for him! You should be whipped for trying to cheat me!"
"At least make it seventy." The man said.
"Sixty-five." Kurt insisted. "Try to raise it again and I walk."
"I'll not go below seventy!"
"And I'll not move from sixty-five! The horse is worth that and that alone!" Kurt said, wishing that Stefan were here to help him seal the deal.
"You're trying to rob me." The man said. Kurt shrugged, making as if he was leaving the stables.
"Your loss then." He said simply.
"Fine!" the man said, not wanting to miss out on making any kind of sale. Smiling, Kurt gave the man the money.
"I knew you would see it my way." He said, opening the stable and taking the horse out.
"I also have bridles and saddles for sale." The man said. Kurt smiled and shook his head, undoing the braids in the horse's mane and tail.
"I won't be needing them." He said, leading his horse out of the stables.
When Piotr saw what kind of horse Kurt had bought, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.
"You chose a horse with one eye?" he asked. Kurt smiled, running a hand down its neck. The horse snorted and licked him lightly, making him laugh as he gently pushed its head away.
"This horse wanted me to choose him." He said. "I could just tell, Piotr."
"But its wound..."
"Is only bad because it has scabbed over badly." Kurt explained. "I can make it so that it is not so big and ugly looking. When I am done with him, he will be the finest one in our stables, despite his missing eye!" Piotr laughed, helping Kurt tie his horse up with the others.
"With the way you handled the hoof rot, I don't doubt that in the slightest!" he said. "How much did you pay for him?" he asked.
"Sixty-five." Kurt said with a smile. "He kept trying to make it more, but I made as if I was going to leave and he immediately saw it my way!"
"You are one shrewd man Kurt Wagner." Piotr pointed out. Kurt smiled and bowed down, laughing as he rose back up.
"Thank you for noticing!" he said, stepping into the general store. They wandered down the shelves, finding Remy at the candy part of the store, buying a bagful of peppermint sticks and peppermint suckers.
"Are you buying those for yourself?" Piotr asked with a laugh. Remy looked over at them and his cheeks burned a faint red color as he paid the three pennies for them.
"Rogue said that she had a craving for some sweets." He explained weakly. Kurt laughed softly and he walked up to the counter.
"There is no shame in admitting that you are buying candy for yourself, Remy!" he said. Turning to the cashier, he bought a bag of red licorice and some peanut brittle. "I haven't had sweets in years!" he said, popping a piece of the brittle into his mouth.
"But Rogue really did ask me to buy her some!" Remy insisted as they left the store. Kurt and Piotr looked at each other playfully, toying with Remy as they rolled their eyes.
"Sure, Remy." Kurt said. "Would you mind explaining why you're sucking on one of the sticks if they're Rogue's?" he asked. Remy frowned and they laughed as they headed back to the school.