Lorenzo nodded his head the whole time his father was talking to him, his dark curls bobbing. "I thought they might need energy, Daddy."
He turned to Bravado as Kate steadied the horse, holding his reins. Lorenzo held his hand palm up, tucking his thumb under his palm as the horse took the carrot from his small hand. “See Daddy, Angelo teached me how to feed them."
Kate smiled at him, correcting his English. "You mean he taught you."
Lorenzo nodded. "Yep, that's what I said."
Shade looked at his family. Life was good for the Medici, and she was right, he needed to be home more, with them. "I am impressed, a good warrior is always a great horseman, now come on before the night ends and we never leave the stables."
Picking up Lorenzo, Shade sat him on the saddle. "Hold onto the pommel, so I can mount." Shade stepped in the stirrup and swung his leg over the massive horse, one arm going around his son. "We ready to ride, little warrior?"
"Go fast, Daddy!"
"If we go fast, you will fall off. And Mommy will never be able to keep up with us. Impavido is much bigger and faster than Bravado. I always beat her when we race!" Shade looked over at bel, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning.
Kate winked at him as she led Bravado out of the stables, the large black stallion following. Once outside, they cleared the pasture, and the horses walked side by side down a well-worn trail that winds through the woods, around the vineyards, and across to the huge fields of lavender and sunflowers, all sprouting the early spring growth. Kate reached out and took his hand, as he lifted it to his lips and kissed her palm. Lorenzo started twisting in the saddle, trying to keep an eye on his parents, as Kate let go of his hand so Shade could steady him.
Shade admonished him. "You will twist your neck off. Now, we are farther out from the house, so let’s play a game. I think you will like it. Let’s see how many animals you can see from atop Impavido. You have the ability to sense them, even when you can’t see them. And for each one you find, Daddy will give you a reward. Ready?"
Shade picked up the pace as they moved closer to the mountain range. He wanted Lorenzo to practice the use of his skills and start to hone his night vision and hearing. He was born with these skills but must learn to master them.
Lorenzo loved the attention and set himself to the task. He was quick to point out that Aegis and Night-Stalker were following them along the tree line. "That counts, right, Daddy?"
"Si, that is very good, Lorenzo, you are observant of your surroundings. Being a warrior, you must always know what is lurking in the shadows. Oh, I see something quite interesting. See if you can see what I see."
Lorenzo swung his head, looking to see if he could spot what his father spotted, and focused his senses. He looked up and saw the falcon in the tree. He pointed skyward and all three of them looked up as he shouted, "Danica!"
"Good job. You make Daddy very proud!"
As they headed up the mountain trail, the trees became thicker, the blackness even deeper. Vampire sight adjusts to the dark, like daylight for mortals, and he waited for Lorenzo to adjust to the darkness.
Lorenzo continued to look skyward and pointed in another direction. “Look, Mommy, do you know that bird?”
Kate laughed as she looked in the direction he was pointing. “Lorenzo, all the animals respond to me, but that doesn’t mean I know them all by name. But I do know this one."
Kate held her gloved hand up over her head and the large white owl swooped down from his perch high in the pines and landed on her hand. Kate looked at him as he tilted his head. "Lorenzo, I'd like you to meet Wizard."
Lorenzo was bouncing in the saddle as he tried to pet the huge owl, and Shade had to grab him around the waist to keep him from falling off the horse.
"Can I keep him, Mommy?"
Kate shook her head. “They are wild, Lorenzo. They want to live in the wild. But I'm sure he’ll visit you."
Kate lifted her hand skyward again as the bird took flight, his huge wingspan creating a breeze they could all feel. "What else is out there, Lorenzo?"
Lorenzo turned his attention back to the forest and concentrated hard.
Shade could barely keep a hold on his son, his head swiveling from side to side, his body squirming. Shade's heart filled with love for this child and he wondered why he needed Kate to remind him he should be home more. "Lorenzo, close your eyes, feel and listen without looking, see if you can sense something without using your eyes. Try it for Daddy."
Lorenzo closed his eyes and threw both hands over his face. He focused his energy and concentrated only on his sense of smell and sound. "I can hear it, Daddy."
He concentrated harder, picking up the scent of an animal he wasn’t familiar with. This wasn’t one of Mommy's warriors either. But it was on all fours and stayed close to the edge of the tree line. His senses told him the animal was smaller than Aegis and Riparo. He opened his eyes and pointed. "Over there, Daddy."
Kate had picked up the animal as well and knew what was there, but she’d let Lorenzo discover it. As they turned the horses in that direction, the small red fox darted out of the trees and ran across the open field.
Lorenzo clapped his hands together. “A fox! I found a fox!"
"Si, look at him run. Now, how many does that make, little warrior? You found so many, were you keeping count as you found them?"
"Five, Daddy. Do I get five surprises?"
"You will once we get back to the stables, but for now, I think we need to let Impavido stretch his legs and run. You can ride with me if you can sit still and hold on tight. I will not let you fall, but you need to pay attention. You have to feel the horse beneath you, anticipate his moves." He turned to Kate. "I want to let him ride faster, but I do not want you to feel you have to keep up, can you handle it?"
Kate smiled at him. "After laundry? I think I can keep up." She gave Bravado a kick with her heels and snapped the reins as the horse took off, and Kate's laughter drifted back to him.
Lorenzo leaned back against his father's chest and looked up at him. "Is Mommy taking Bravado to do laundry?"
Shade threw his head back and laughed like hell. "No, little warrior, but I think Mommy is racing us back to the stables. We should try to beat her, si? Now lean over Impavido's mane and hang on tight. We are about to go fast."
Lorenzo giggled with excitement as Shade slid his arm around his son to hold him tight in the saddle, his little hands gripping Impavido's mane. Shade kicked the horse with his heels as the stallion took off at full speed. The wind blew through their hair as Shade leaned over Lorenzo, so he could hear him. "Let’s catch Mommy and win this race. Medici per sempre!"
Lorenzo squealed with excitement. "Go fast, Impavido!" He clung to the horse’s mane, secure in the knowledge his father held him in place as he shouted to the horse to go faster. The large stallion quickly gained on the smaller horse, as they both raced to the stables. Bravado picked up his speed without coaching, as he worked hard to maintain the pace of the black stallion.
Turning the reins, Shade veered off the path and along the fence line close to the vineyards. Lorenzo was laughing and yelling the whole way, no fear of speed. Pulling up slowly on the reins, Shade brought Impavido to a stop.