Leasing Kiwi

Name: Kiwi

Breed: Insula

Color: Flaxen Chestnut Snowflake

Gender: Stallion

Age: Unknown

Height: 17.1hh

Rider: Seth Marshall (Hopefully Rock-O-Man won't be too jealous his owner has left him back in the winter weather while he frolics on the beach with another horse )

Talk about jet lag! Seth had never been so tired in his life than when he stepped his dressage boot onto the sands of Main Land in the world of Equum. Out of all the riders at CandleWick Equine Facility, he was sent here to risk his life in the massive worldwide treasure hunt. Granted, he had volunteered for the job... Heck! He was only 16 and could barely drive back at home! Luckily, driving wasn't a necessity here. Horseback riding was the way of the land, and he had that down pat. He still couldn't believe his parents allowed him to do this, maybe it was the constant begging and insisting that his knowledge of horse care would greatly increase here and better prepare him for practicing on large animals in medical school later on. His sister, Taylor, would be taking care of his APH gelding while he was away, which meant it was time to find himself a mount for his stay in this new world.

He wasn't sure yet if the stables would send anyone else after him so they may form a team, but by the looks of it, he was on his own. A scary thought really. A 16 year old in an unknown world. His social skills and ability to make new friends would definitely be put to the test, not to mention his survival skills! 2 years in Boy Scouts might not cut it here!

He was off to the auction house where he heard they would be selling horses native to the world that he could partner with on the upcoming journey. He had done his research while still in America safely on Earth and found that the he would cope best with the journey on the Eclipse Isles. After all the snow and clouds and slushy dirty streets back in Osage Beach, Missouri, he was ready to live it up in the tropics on a REAL beach and promptly chose these islands to begin his quest. This meant, he would need to buy an Insula.

The auction block was constantly moving horses in and out of the roped in paddock, and people dotted the stands, raising their numbers to bid while the auctioneer rambled on. He would slow down his talking to announce they nice attributes of the horse on the block and would encourage sales by throwing in a "What a great-looking mount this one is!" every once in a while. He would announce the breed and gender, height, etc. but the Insula's Seth saw just weren't quite right for some reason. By noon, the auctioneer announced the lunch break and also mentioned that each continent often held markets in their local villages, and horses and other livestock were also sold there. The Eclipse Isles were emphasized on this aspect as well since they were the sole providers for animal farming. Seth was in luck! Maybe his accomplice waited for him there!

He spent the night on the Main Land in a hotel and read up in the library about the islands and what he should come to expect and made arrangements the next day to make the trip to the Eclipse Isles. At the break of dawn he was up and ready to make the long trip to the new continent. His guide left him at the end of the bridge and pointed him in the direction of the nearest village. He asked the locals if they had anything like the auctioneer mentioned on Main Land and they eagerly nodded and showed him through a tropical forest path to a huge strip of beach that wrapped around the visible corners of the island.

The beach was made of soft white sand with scattered shells and the random starfish. People were everywhere! This was a happening place! People in swimsuits everywhere sun-bathing and playing volleyball and swimming and the entrance to the market! Shopping was apparently a lifestyle here as crowded tiki booths occupied jewelry, clothes, fruits and vegetables, lawn decorations, kitchen wear, home decor items, animal furs, and meats on ice, anything you could think of this place had it! Past all of these little boutiques, Seth came to the livestock section. They were roped in between tiki torches and crowded together were sheep baaahing at each other. The cows and horses were kept in individual ropes. The cows were nice and large, perfect for beef or milk, and the horses were fit and muscular as characteristic of the Insula breed.

Still, though, none of the horses, though sweet and colorful, met Seth's high standards. He was just about to give up, when he spotted it. The chestnut stallion at the end. Just before the market ended and the beach turned back into recreational human use, a large stallion with a flaxen mane whinnied out to the sea as if he wanted to gallop out to it and play.

Seth quickened his step, skipping over every other horse he saw and weaving between people, before standing in front of the sweet green-eyed stallion. The boy pulled an apple from his cargo pants, it had rolled off an earlier fruit stand and the man said he could have it. He offered it to the horse as he slowly approached. This was the horse he had been looking for! He was tall to fit Seth's size and had flat, durable hooves that would easily cover the sand, his long mane and tail would maybe be a hassle later on, but he had spunk while pinned up the other horses didn't have. He had a sense of adventure, and Seth could feel it.

This was the horse he would release, and his name for the time being, would be Kiwi.

Gah! Long story.

Kiwi just ate an apple. Fruit-ception . I am so excited for this pair to dominate the hunt! I feel like they'll be a good match! Seth is so sweet to animals which matches the Insula's reputation for a kind disposition. Plus Seth is crazy into the large animal medical field and may serve as a make-shift vet if need be!

I can't decide if CandleWick will send anyone else on the hunt with him to form a team. Safety in numbers right? We will just have to see. If not, at least Seth already has a very good beginning going with his temporary mount!

I had this wonderful idea of an outdoor, beach horse market and I just loved it So I went with it and here it is! I hope it's okay that I made the setting in a place other than Main Land's auction house, I just loved the idea of the native horses being sold among their wild peers. It reminds me of the Chincoteague ponies!

Btw! I got Photoshop CS6 Extended for my birthday and this is my first completed image using it! I'm still getting the hang of it... but I think Kiwi's shading and stuff came out AWESOME.

Leasing this horse for the Equum-RPG Treasure Hunt! Original design:

Also, the horse next to him (you can see its butt on the lower left) is this girl. She's also up for sale/lease!