As he raced down the rise to the beach, Dale wondered if she was following his lead—if she wasn’t, this sacrifice was for naught. He needn’t have worried. A pony’s instinctive reaction to danger was to run away, and they were much better at it than he would ever be. He was astonished to see the exact moment that she changed gaits from a canter to a full gallop, before he looked forward again.