She heard the pop and crack of his spine, even over the ambient noise of the forest. She winced in sympathy and reflected that if she were to make such a motion, her spine would make a noise not all that dissimilar. She was out of practice at this as well, though it would hardly inspire confidence if she were to admit as much. So she simply nodded at his request. It was the most sensible course of action and the one she’d prefer. That he’d come to it of his own volition would make it easier to accept and made him rise in her esteem. 

So she began to look with a more critical eye for a place to stop for the night. Rains were not unseasonal and the few bits of sky she could see through the considerable canopy said rain was a decided possibility. It made for lovely swaths of color across the sky, but that was a fleeting pleasure that would have no weight if they were soaked through and she had to worry about her employer’s health as well as his safety. He didn’t look overly frail, but he was pale and he was under enough strain that the imps and deamons that brought disease were likely to find an easy target in him if he were further weakened by rain and cold. 

They traveled for maybe another half hour before she heard the soft tinkling sound of a brook weaving through the woods not far from the path they were on. She aimed them towards it under hunch and found her a small clearing with enough low hanging, thick branches to make further shelter if it did start to rain. A bend of that singing stream tickled the edge of the clearing and the leaf-litter at the base of the trees told her that deer frequently sheltered there, which gave her a good sense of the safety and shelter to be found there. 

She slid off of Honey’s back with a barely suppressed groan and nodded in satisfaction. 

“This will do.” She said and dropped the reins and performed her own little twist of spine that rose up pops and crackles of her own, though she was pleased to note they were not as loud as his. 

“You wash up and I’ll set up camp. I have some salve for you to put on your thighs and bottom while I cook dinner. I’ll leave it in your tent and then after dinner you are going to let me work on your back. It will make things easier for you tomorrow.” 

She didn’t make it seem like a request, it was important he let her see to him, but she didn’t give the words a bark of command. He was her employer, not the other way around and she didn’t want to prick his sense of authority for all that he would be a fool not to accept the expertise he’d paid for.