Mia's sudden scream sent a jolt through Ford. She bolted from the water so quickly that she slipped, and he lunged forward to catch her.
He was able to keep her from landing fully in the water, managing to use the momentum of her dash to haul her mostly onto the land before they landed roughly in a heap next to the water's edge.
Both their horses had backed up, startled by the humans' odd behavior.
"Are you all right?" Ford demanded anxiously, searching Mia's face for any sign of injury. She looked more startled than anything.
"Mia?" Seth questioned from the water as he waded slowly towards them. "Are you afraid of frogs now?"
"Frogs?" Mia squeaked, disentangling herself from Ford to sit up and look to where she had just been standing. A small amphibian was hopping its way towards the forest, through the ponds of shallow water.
