The hike they took was beautiful. Her muscles tingled and stretched beneath her skin. There had been so much to climb and jump on and off of. She luxuriated in the feel of the exercise; it was almost as good as running. She had been so focused on the feeling in her muscles and the hum of the world around her that she had never noticed she had stopped following Alex. The forest resonated with the melodious chirp of cicadas, the cacophonous sounds of pounding hooves, and the thunderous trickle of streams through the woods.
"I'll be careful, truffle."
His voice barely registered in her mind. The boulders she leapt over rubbed deeply into the arches of her feet. In front of her there was a small cliff, but she could still see the grassy knoll.
"Truffle, stop."
"Rosalie."
She planted her f
