"You are far too annoying to be a shadow," Dain said with a growl. He gathered his reins, shifting his position slightly. He rode without any stirrups, the saddle obviously custom-made for his tails, his powerful thighs gripping the sides of the animal in a way that suggested he would be perfectly comfortable riding bareback.

I only saw him signal his stag because I was already staring at his thighs: a slight turn of his leg to press his heel against the animal's side, and the black stag leapt forward into a bounding run. With a good amount of adrenaline, I did the same, and my own mount launched into motion.

She very nearly left me behind on the first bound. If I hadn't seen Dain go from a standstill to the see-saw run of the deer, I for sure would have rolled right off. Horses are mostly level while they run, but a deer? Not so much. I did possess plenty of leg muscle from climbing, and I clamped down on the doe's sides, which apparently was the signal for "go really fast." She stretched her pace, ears forward, and after a few jouncing bounds I found a balance. It was kind of like riding a horse at a canter over poles, so that every pace was a mini-jump. I leaned forward slightly, let my hips remember how to glue themselves to a saddle, and whooped as we passed Dain.

I heard him say something surprised, and with a reckless grin, let the doe race her way down the path into the forest.

12. Familiar Landscapes

Chapter 12

Familiar Landscapes

I fell off the doe.

Twice.

Both times Dain had to go and fetch her for me, and the second time I got dumped when she balked at a jump his stag had taken with ease, sending me careening over her shoulder directly into a muddy creek before she turned and booked it. Dain started laughing when he brought her back the second time to find me plastered with mud down half my body and creek water dripping off my skirt. It was, shockingly, not mean-hearted laughter, but straight-up amusement at what had to be a very funny sight.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, though I couldn't keep myself from smiling. I took the reins from him and eyed the doe with a weary expression.

She looked back at me with innocent brown eyes, blinking her long lashes.

"Do you need assistance?" Dain asked, something like wicked humor in his voice.

I glanced back at him to see him wearing an expression of smirking delight. "I wouldn't say no," I admitted.