Trained horses follow instruction without complaint. I find it hard to comprehend why a brash man like yourself has anything to complain about.

[Dismounting is a simple affair. He grasps the reins in his left hand and pivots his right foot over the horse in one fluid motion. The rudeness of his observation is forgotten by the time his feet are planted onto dirt. Reins are swung over the mare's head and he leads her forward.]

Better we ride than walk, surely not?

[Stephen almost seems an afterthought. His attention is diverted towards the forest and over his shoulder, his nerves on edge as a matter of course.]