"Feel the wind in your hair and hold the sun forever in your eyes; only then will you be ready to travel the path that's grown over from people who'd rather take the easy way."

My story begins not with me, but with he who would change me. I started as a little ignorant spitfire who could out run just about every horse on the continent; except I was born with one fatal error, a vital piece of a champion racer was missing.

Mares gathered around their fellow in a grassy clearing near the centre of the unsettled west. The humans would later call it Utah. If it were any other female she would have been left alone to her birth pains. But this skewbald mare was not just a normal herd mate. She was the lead mare and mate to their chief stallion, Spirit.

As another contraction seized over Rain, she felt like she would die. The pain was worse then even that of the bullet wound to her foreleg; it still hurt now even though it was over a year healed. As she cried out in pain the other mares stepped back except for one. And he was no mare.

Spirit, her lord lowered his head and rubbed it against her creamy cheek. She could tell from the look in his deep eyes that he was sorry for her pain, and that he had caused it.

With each breath the pain was fiercer. Rain pushed against the thing in her belly that so obviously wanted to get out. Her mate nickered his apology and continued to nibble on the soft tendrils of chocolate mane that was spread along the grass. Other familiar herd members were watching from the corners of their eye, each wondering if their lead mare would survive her first foal.

Time flowed as it always does, and the mare continued her ordeal; an eagle preened its feathers in a pine tree as red and gold beams shot through the sky. The old colonial let the memories of a buckskin stallion flit away from his train of thought as the sky had momentarily distracted him from the mission at hand, and reminded him of earlier years. Visions of that stud always haunted him when the sky matched his golden flanks. A stable hand ran up and began shouting excitedly, "Sir, Chesnee has finally taken."

The man turned his back on the boy and walked down the hall. The dusky barns smelt like saddle oil and horse; coloured noses and faces pushed out against the cedar and pine beams to look curiously down the hall. A mare was currently being walked in from the pastures, and her hooves made a soft clopping sound along the stone floor. A human male in a white coat was patting her shoulder. The colonial grinned in pride; the vet who held the lead rope of the mare mirrored this same expression.

She flicked her ears and whinnied happily as her master came closer, his tender hands caressed her nose as he whispered softly. She didn't understand his words, but they were as gentle as his hands that were scratching the black velvet skin of her nose. "Your sons going to be beautiful missy. I can't wait to start training him."

It is always entertaining to watch someone's hopes and dreams of glory get crushed in the harshest way possible. I crushed his dreams, as the last foal of a prize army mare. As it seems Black Chesnee, my mother, was bred to the wrong male. What was worse was that my father was a flaw. He was the stallion gone wrong and was now brimming with rage and bloodlust. He was a mustang in mind and in body. That poor human never knew what hit him.

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

My little ears folded back at the loud voice that echoed around the barn. I chewed on my tongue a little, and watched the world around me. A soft, sultry smell tingled my nose; with it followed a black shape. I blinked my eyes and whickered out in fear. It paid no heed to my calls; instead opting to rub it's face against my nose.

"There is no dapple anywhere in either sides bloodlines, so explain to me how this colt came out as sterling dappled?"

The voice was loud but the warm feeling of my mothers –I presumed she was my mother- tender licking distracted me. And then it happened; I felt this sudden urge well up in my stomach as I was dried. Lifting my spindly legs I tried to go where instinct told me, right to mommy's milk. She grunted her approval of my choice and tried to help me up. A few times I failed in my plight, and my soft body fell back down onto the soft wood chip bedding.

Loud noises and yelling continued to echo around the four walls of my home, and when finally my dark legs were straight I found myself looking into the angered eyes of another creature. My mother stepped in front of me, knowing of this things moods; I was bold.

As he stared down at me, I glared at him back. My ears swept back and plastered themselves against my head in an attempt to warn the man off. He sniffed, nostrils flared and I shifted my weight and pranced in tiny steps. Instinct told me to be wary of this creature; his eyes held authority. Mine held fire.

"So you're the last of the line little boy."

His words seemed to hold an underlying threat in their tone; I was offended even though I hadn't a notion about what he said. Rising up on shaky legs, I did an imitation rear. I thought that I had scared him off in my attempts at bravery.

It was too bad for the colonial, as I know him as now, that I was a filly. The idea of a little foal that was born the wrong gender, and of the wrong breeding hit him hard. Funny how these things turn out ne? Now I doubt that HE would have traded me for the world.

My darkened coat flashed in the morning sunlight as I stretched my neck out. This was ridiculous, where was that stupid little stable hand? I had been left out over-night again, not that anyone cared. Even the other horses wouldn't stay around me for very long the humans were scared that I'd teach them 'bad manners' whatever that meant.

I stomped around and watched the other paddocks with a lazy gaze. This farm was a bore, and I was running out of grass. My black mane floated back with the breeze and tickled my throat. Each little sound caught my ears and for long moments I just stood with my head facing the wind, listening. Deep inside me there would become a soft lapping that would ease my mind and put me into a realm of solid sky, and then I would open my eyes.

This time there was something different about the winds voice, it was harsh. I could smell something strong in the currents grasp; and then I recognized it.

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"So hows she been coming these last few years Marshal?"

That man who separated me from my mother, and then left me here as a foal, stood just out of my range of sight; I knew it was him, I could never forget the smell of sand on him. It was as if he had spent his life living in the heat and dirt.

"I suppose the best thing you could say about that filly of yours is that she's got her mothers conformation Colonial. I recommend you turn her right into a brood mare and let her calm off. She's given me more trouble then you've paid for."

I watched the two men approaching me, the nerve of them both. Did they honestly think that I would let them enter my territory? My black tail swished back and forth like a whip while I pulled up my rear. The Colonial, unlike the man who ran the stable, kept striding up to the white fence. His eyes bore into mine with a fire that I would have longed to stamp out. I reared up and challenged him.

"I left this filly here for three years, and you've done nothing with her other then let her grow?"

My body lifted again as my hooves chopped through the air. It swirled around my body and lifted my mane up like a cloud. Something like awe in the snakes' eyes had me coming down softly and lowering my head; the soft ears on my head stayed back but the curiosity got the better of me. Each of my strides was cautious but dominant; he knew that I wasn't afraid of him.

"Come on Little lady." His hand came out as if to touch me when I got close enough. The blue uniform her wore caught my attention and in those few moments of my distraction, he caught me. I would have none of it though, and thus reared back up, dragging this man with me. His eyes again had that distant look as if remembering times past; subconsciously his fingers let go.

For the smallest second I forgot that I was free, but the idea came back to me all too quickly and I ran. My eyes stayed focused as I stretched out along the rail and followed the ground. At that time I probably could have continued without the ground. The fence suddenly stopped and I was forced to stop with it, but how I longed to continue and run off into the hills around this ranch.

"I'm taking her with me to the fort, Marshal. Nothing left but to get her whipped hard enough that she will learn to accept a rule."

"I don't believe that she would make a good army horse sir. Her temperament is wrong, but she'd make a fine track racer. She's got gumption this one, and pep as you just saw."

My mind let their voices float away as I lifted my nose to the sky. I could smell apples, and pine as I stood in the mornings glow. Each little sunray bounced off my coat and filtered onto the emerald grass. For some reason, I was unexpectedly hungry this morning.

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I learned later that something else happened around this time to an Indian. I would later know him as Little Creek, of the Lakota.

"Do you really think that the fort will want to trade for anything we have?"

Brown eyes rose towards the man in question as the horse continued to chomp on his mouthful of grass. The stallion in question flicked an ear back and let his head fall back down to the snack he was currently enjoying.

"Some help you are Sun. Come on then lets see if that old wood heap needs fresh food." The human whistled sharply and placed a hand out stretched of his torso.

Sun lifted his head and walked over slowly, still chewing on that same bit of grass. His golden-chestnut coat rippled over each muscle in the afternoon glory. The stallion let the man mount without so much as a side step, but did balk under the weight of the saddlebags that were thrown over his withers.

He had been with this man for little under a year and was still wary sometimes in the village. Too many humans would come up and casually rub his side or a flank, and this startled him. Even though his father had assured him of the safety in the village, there was still that little instinct that constantly repeated that humans were bad.

"Geyah!"

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Stupid humans.

I reared again as another man flinched under my gaze. Even after an hour I was still entertained by their cowardice. No horse would flinch at things so easily; even a foal had more backbone.

The Colonial was watching me make toys of his men from a wooden shelter. I fancied that I saw him snicker. Was he trying to mock me? Or was it his Men that he was laughing at? I tried to ignore the heat that was beating down on my back and flicked back my ears at one soldier with shiny metal in his hands. I didn't know what those were for, but they sure as hell weren't going to be clipping anything on me. My rules from the farm hadn't changed when I was moved.

One man lunged and grabbed at my face. I suppose that they were growing tired of this catch the pony game. Oh well, those men would learn that I was no Pony. When his rough hand grabbed at the halter along my cheek, I panicked and threw up my head in an arc. The mans hand let go easier then the Colonials had on that day back at the ranch and this time I was ready.

His rigid form lay still on the ground, I knew he was not dead from the hard breathing that was coming from his mouth. My one leg stood but inches from his face and, in an act that proclaimed my youth to the entire camp, I picked up the man by the scruff of his blue coat with my teeth.

In my little bout of female pride I regret to say that I did not notice the wooden doors open. Nor did I even glance at those people who had entered the camp. Instead I shook the man with my teeth and snorted into his hair. My eyes were trained on the faces of his friends, and even the Colonial seemed pensive. What was he thinking? Did he believe me to be this 'devil' that many of the men seemed to call me.

My ears flicked back to listen to the scuffle behind me, but my gaze stayed locked on that man on the porch. His black eyes narrowed, challenging me to hold up my threat; I let my ears shift back and bared my teeth, still never letting go of the mans collar.

"Shhhh…that's a good girl."

I bunched up my rump as a rough hand smoothed itself along my pelt. So shocked was I that someone had actually touched me that I dropped the soldier from my jaw. My body shivered at this mans touch and a fear rushed through me and I shied away from the Human. He was different then these men whom I was using for a mere sport. This boy had eyes that seemed to calm my spirit; I wouldn't let him get to me. His soft eyes shook me to my very core, but behind him, in the last rays of the evening sun, was a stallion. A stallion who looked at me with the same expression of soft control, and of dominance.

With the small distance between us that there was, I raised my head and shook out my ebony mane. The dapple silver of my coat and the blackness of my stockings were bold against the dirt and sand that was strewn through the arena. In on swift call I dared him to come closer into the fire-pit that was my ring.