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He reure it out When I swung up into the saddle, I was eye level with Finn

He changed the subject "Is that a jurinned "Quartz loves to jump I hope you can keep up"

"That won’t be a probleallop

To be fair, I waited a few seconds before giving Quartz the signal Then we gave chase

My ribs protested thebanished my aches, worries and problems I concentrated onover fences, chewing up thethe wind We transforo anywhere Exhilarating

We caught up to Finn and Sun Ray He pointed to a forest in the distance Our destination With a burst of speed, we passed thee of the woods, we slowed and returned to horse and rider I dis her cool down

Holding Sun Ray’s reins, Finn joined us, leading her beside us as she puffed for breath Her golden coat gleaht the stories about the Sandseed horses had been exaggerated Now I’ they didn’t quite explain the--" he searched for the proper word "--splendor of the horse Not just physical attractiveness, but the whole way she ible essence of pure beauty" He looked a bit chagrined "Sorry I didn’t ush"

"As long as it doesn’t go to her head She’s already spoiled, but she’d be io"

We entered the forest, following a trail through the bare branches and crunching dead leaves under our boots A few evergreens saved the landscape froht creepy Only a few days rereenery wouldn’t arrive until the end of the warle of water reached h the er rocks Finn tied his horse to a nearby tree, but I pulled Quartz’s bridle off and let her explore

"Aren’t you worried she’ll run away?" he asked

"No Although, if she chooses to leave, I’d be devastated"

Quartz snorted and flicked me with her tail Finn peered at me as if my skin had turned another color

"With Sandseed horses, the horse picks the rider And if she decides she wants to return to the Avibian Plains, there’s nothing I could do to stop her Well…I could tempt her with milk oats"

She raised her head at thefrom the strea "Where’s the waterfall?"