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Riding along the narrow trail, the crispy leaves crunched underfoot though many yellow, red, and orange leaves still hung on the branches above our heads. The moon shone bright in the early dawn sky, subduing the sparkling of the millions of stars. We rode along in silence; the peaceful silence close friends have.

The warmth of our mounts, their steamy breath mingling with the scents of fall and our own shivering exhalations. Bound for nowhere in particular, we simply wanted time together with our horses to take a time out from our busy lives. We did what we do best, meeting up at the barn after a hot cup of coffee, grooming and saddling, mounting and

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walking side-by-side until the trail narrowed.

The sounds of the forest slowly waking in the flit of squirrel and the tap of a woodpecker as hooves sounded hollow and deep on the packed dirt beneath brought joy to spirits who had suffered lately. On we went, into the dawn and the day with no expectations but companionship.