He reined in as well and glanced to her to see her leaning forward on her mount, staring ahead and off to their right with bewilderment, and then a little alarm.

“What kind of creature is that?” she asked, her voice going higher in pitch with anxiety.

Daniel turned his head, following her line of vision and searching the dark woods ahead until he spotted movement. He leaned forward now himself, trying to make it out. It was still a good distance away, and large, as tall as a person but bigger around than one. Under the moonlight it was a patchwork of whites, grays and black . . . and he didn’t have a damned clue what it was. It appeared to be leaping about, but was far too big to be a rabbit and its movements were clumsy, almost drunken as it weaved one way and then another in an awkward, hopping manner.

“I don’t know,” he finally admitted. Daniel watched it for a minute, and then said, “Stay here,” and urged his mount forward. He kept the horse to a slow walk, his approach cautious because he wasn’t sure what it was. But as he got nearer and heard the racket the creature was making, he realized it would never hear his own approach. The crackle of underbrush as it thumped about was loud enough to drown out any sound he was making. In fact, it was making so much racket that it took him a minute to realize it was speaking . . . English . . . in two different voices . . . one female and one male.

“Straight ahead, Father. You keep hopping to the right.”

“I am going ahead, Suzie. You are the one who keeps going to the side.”

“Not your ahead, parallel to the road ahead. Jump to your left instead of forward.”

“Oh. Well why didn’t you say so, girl?”

Suddenly Daniel knew exactly what he was looking at. Relief rushed through him, but was followed by a wave of laughter so strong that he had to bite his tongue and lower his head to keep it from bursting out. He knew without a doubt that his riding up, laughing his head off would infuriate Suzette immensely.

“Is that her?”

Daniel glanced around to see that his mother had ignored his order and ridden up beside him. This close, she apparently had also recognized that it was two people, bound back to back and hopping through the woods in the most ungainly fashion. Daniel nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak without a laugh slipping out.

“Well.” Lady Woodrow tilted her head as she eyed the woman who was soon to be her daughter-in-law. Finally, she said, “She must be cold in that . . . er . . . whatever she is wearing.”