Down the Hobbit Hole

Chapter Two: Ariel

I tacked up Braveheart (which is basically just a fancy way of saying that I put all the stuff I needed to ride her on her) and climbed into the saddle. All those movies and books where the heroine or hero leaps into the saddle in mid-gallop? Yeah, no. That's not the way it works, hunbun. A stuntman could do that possibly, but most normal riders cannot simply jump onto their horse. Especially when they're my height. Jumping off is different, but when getting on a horse, a normal person simply cannot compare with computer graphics.
I kicked Braveheart gently to let her know I wanted to go. She began walking as slowly as she possibly could along the dirt path. I sighed.
"Braveheart, you lazy butt, I know that you can walk faster than the average tortoise!" I teased, kicking her a bit harder. She picked up the pace marginally.
"Well, good enough to warm up. You'll get your energy later when we're finishing up the ride, of course." I rolled my eyes as I rode her towards a nearby trail. At first the trail went through only fields, but then, once you got past a certain point, you had to go through a gate and the path opened to a forest. Large pine trees flanked both sides of the narrow dirt road, their branches creating an archway into the woods. Braveheart walked merrily along the trail, going faster of her own will. I took that as a sign to go.
"Let's trot, girl." I coaxed, pressing my legs into her sides. She immediately went into the bouncy, jolting gait, but I could tell both of us wanted to go faster. I gave her sides a bit more pressure, a bit more, and finally, she broke into a fast, rolling canter. We speeded down the trail, hair, mane, and tail flying behind us. But, adventurer that I am, I wanted more. I wanted to be "truly free." I wheeled Braveheart around to go into the trees. She snorted in protest and slowed to a walk, even walking backwards, but I was sure of myself, so sure that everything would be fine, that I made her go forward. We trotted into the dark pines and soon enough, I couldn't see the trail. Deeper we went, though, onward, away from that confining path. And, not surprisingly, we got lost.