This one-shot may become part of bigger series, as I would like to write more about Adder's relationship with characters through the horses. The working title is: Koniokrad zna się na koniach [The horse thief knows horses well, more or less], so you can guess what will be the main theme of the planned series XD
For now though, here some Adder & Henry friendship with Pebbles. Enjoy!
.
.
.
When Janosh told him Adder wanted to check out his horse - and confirmed that indeed, Adder meant the animal, not the little horse hidden in hose, Henry was immediately worried by such an unexpected request. Not because he thought the Polish mercenary would hurt his Pebbles on purpose - as far as Henry noticed, animals liked the man, from his good, silly Mutt to stray cats that always somehow ended up sleeping on Adder whenever the man was taking a nap in a nice, cozy place. But it was still hard to believe for Henry, a hardened mercenary like Adder would show an interest in any animal beyond its usefulness.
For Adder showing interest in Henry’s horse, it meant he wanted to check out how good Pebbles was. Which meant either he knew what Zizka was planning - thus Henry was out of loop, again, or Adder had his own plans. And as far as Henry knew the man, said plans usually involved breaking law, if not outright killing some poor sods.
Pebbles was a good horse and Henry would not forgive himself if something bad happened to her because Adder decided to visit the closest village to put his dick into another married woman. Or two. Or a dozen. It was a very real possibility, and yet Henry was worried the most that Adder would check out the horse and laugh at poor Pebbles, the way people always did in the past.
So what if she was a bit older and not so beautiful like the big steeds serving all the noble and rich knights? Pebble was a great horse in her own way and above all, it was a gift from lord Hanush and sir Hans. Henry would protect her good name as a knight would fight for lady’s honor - which was why Henry worried so much upon hearing such a request. He didn’t want to start a fight with Dry Devil’s men - Zizka needed them to attack the king's enemy and Henry needed Zizka to save sir Capon, but he won’t let anyone insult the poor Pebbles either. It was all he had left of Hans, the last connection to his friend that no one gave a shit about.
So when he brought the unsaddled horse for Adder’s inspection, Henry didn't take his eyes off him. Adder didn’t seem to care one way or another; he did not speak to Henry, not even with Janosh. His hands were gliding over the horse's fur, carefully learning the shape of the mare. There was something intimate in the way Adder’s fingers touched Pebbles, so much that Henry felt like an intruder to the act, even though Pebbles was his horse and he took care of her day after day.
It shouldn’t feel so weird. But Adder had a serious, stern expression the whole time, so unusual from his wolfish laugh that Henry couldn’t help but worry more and more. The silence was so heavy, like either a miracle was about to happen or the earth to collapse in two.
Adder finally hummed quietly. When he patted the horse's rump, Henry realized he was holding his breath as he waited for the verdict.
Then Adder smiled, the bright, dangerous smile of his and without warning jumped on Pebbles’ back. Before any protest managed to slip through Henry’s lips, the crazy Pole galloped through the clearings around Devil’s Inn. His loud, wolfish laugh carried in the air, like the laughter of the old, forgotten gods Henry heard about during his journey.
There was no doubt Adder enjoyed himself and way too much. People were looking out of windows to see what the maniacal laughter was all about. Dry Devil himself walked out of the inn to investigate what was happening and the moment sir Hynek saw Adder galloping on bare horseback like it was nothing, Henry catched a glint of jealousy in the older man's eyes.
Adder rode the unsaddled horse in a way Henry would never dare, could never be able to. In Rattay, lord Hanush’s people trained Henry to stay on horseback no matter what happened around him. He thought he did a good job then, but the last weeks of fighting tooth and nail for survival made him realize he did not feel that safe in the saddle, less alone without it. Hans told him once that a horse always knew how well experienced its rider was - it could sense human fear and uncertainty. Rider needed to dominate the horse for if he could not keep it under strict control, he could not trust the mount. The last time Hans hesitated, he fell down from one and broke his right arm. Henry tried very hard to not repeat his friend’s mistake.
But the Pole’s confidence seemed to spread through the mare, adding boldness to her spirit and liveliness to old bones.
All Henry could do was to watch in awe how the horse galloped through the pole. Whenever Pebbles jumped over an obstacle in the way - whether a fence, a bush or a terrified person crouching at the last moment, the breath caught in his chest.
It was reckless to endanger horse’s safety for such a crazy ride, but the faster Pole rode the horse, the louder was Pebbles’ neighing. Henry could not remember a time when the mare looked so happy, so free.
It hurt to know that his beloved Pebbles trusted Adder in a way she could never trust Henry. It was his fault of course. Only a fool blamed a mount for a rider’s failure.
But it made Henry wonder if this was what Adder was really curious about? Did the Pole decide to check out if Pebble was such a weak horse or just Henry was the bad rider? And if yes, did he do so on Zizka’s order or just out of concern for his comrades at arms?
The uncertainty had a bitter taste. And yet, to know how powerful and gracious the mare was despite her age and tender nature, filled Henry’s heart with new warmness. Adder’s crazy ride only proved how generous a gift from lords of the Leipa Pebbles was, even if Henry did not think that at the beginning - similarly, how he did not think Hans was anything good that happened to him, yet his presence changed so much his life for the better. Irony was a funny thing, sometimes.
Maybe Adder could help him become a better rider, if he found the Pole in enough good mood one morning to ask. Or bribed with a jug of strong alcohol. Henry hoped that once he freed lord Capon from captivity, Hans then would notice and appreciate the effort his squire put into becoming a better warrior. Into becoming worthy of his master. Worthy of such a generous gift life presented him.
And Henry was going to free Hans, even if the whole word turned against him.
With a joyful neigh, Pebbles slowed down and finally stopped where Henry, Janosh and Dry Devil stood together. Adder slipped off the horse's back, clearly pleased with himself. With a big wolf-like smile and apple of the eyes so wide, the man looked disturbingly dangerous. Wild. And yet Pebbles happily trotted over to him and nudged Adder’s arm with her muzzle. Demanding attention and praise, as Henry assumed.
“Dobry konik!” Adder said, kissing the mare’s nostrils with such tenderness, it took Henry by surprise. Only him, though, as no Dry Devil or Janosh batted an eye. So maybe the Pole truly liked animals more than he tolerated people.
For once he did not need Janosh to translate anything, for it was clear that Adder praised Pebbles as a good horse. And indeed, Pebbles was a good horse and whoever said otherwise was a cold-hearted bastard with no inch of humanity.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
don’t get me wrong, i Love pebbles, but i every time i find phantom horse, i just can’t bring myself to leave him behind. he is a pillage/war survivor just like henry. he’s so devoted to his previous owner that he stays at his side postmortem. i really hope that kcd3 lets us have a secondary/stabled horse. it’s impossible for me to imagine henry giving up pebbles, but i also can’t see his horse-girl-ass self abandoning this mourning stallion.
I've been playing Pokemon Fire Red in my free time and this is just a short list of KCD-inspired pokemon nicknames. I love how technically everyone has their favourite pokemon, mine's Cubone
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
KCD modern equestrian AU thingy that I posted on my last acc before it got deleted but this is an updated revamped version of that 🥹✌️ in which Henry is the son of a farrier who doesn’t know much about riding horses but is quite good with them on the ground and is also studying to be a farrier. After he loses his parents and moves to Rattay he finds an ugly grey 3 year old mare on Facebook being sold for cheap and scrounges up whatever money he has to buy her and (of course) calls her Pebbles 🥹
She’s mostly unbacked (and has a bucking problem…) so he probably wouldn’t ride her very often and only leads her with tack on. He of course gets mocked for her, especially by Hans who is an eventer with a top class Czech Warmblood. Even when he does get Pebbles fully backed he’d probably be one of those people who really only hacks/trail rides and does as much desensitisation as possible
Also as you can see Pebbles is a MUCH darker shade of grey than she is in the game because she’s meant to be much younger and inexperienced here (like Henry lol) because grey horses get lighter as they age because they’re born black/bay etc
ermmm anyway I can’t ride for weeks because of my broken finger so this is how I’m coping
