Here's the second Tornado POV one shot, inspired by IcyWaters - many thanks, my friend!

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The Day Garcia Caught Me

It was a hot day. I was watching how my master and his friend were slashing away at the brush to hide crates filled with something boring. At least it didn't smell edible to me. The smell rather made my nostrils itch and I snorted at the thought of it. My companions were quite busy but at my snorting the shorter one, Bernardo he was called, looked up and decided to check the distance.

The two were always hiding from the others of their own species if they wore a uniform. This time, Bernardo wouldn't have to go and check the area if he had a fine nose like me. I had smelled the other horses and their riders already. Another reason for my nose to itch. As I snorted again, Bernardo came rushing back to where his friend was. For some reason the smaller man was unable to utter sounds, whereas his companion had no trouble doing so.

I loved the voice of my master and I loved the way he played games with me, like hide and seek. He'd tell me to hide and then he'd hide himself. At his whistle, I was supposed to find him. Easy task. My ears were excellent and when I got close enough I could even smell him. He smelled good. He didn't make my nostrils itch. Training my attention back to my master and his friend, I saw the smaller man talking in his usual hand signals.

My black clad friend, he was as black as my coat, another reason we worked so well together, if you ask me, well, he went to look for himself what Bernardo had signed to him. Then he came to me.

"Lead them away from here, Tornado," he said, patting me on my back. Tornado. That's what he called me. I loved the sound of it. Nodding my head, I went to approach the big soldier. He had climbed off his horse and was obviously looking for something. Probably for whatever it was my master was trying to hide.

I was almost on top of the soldier when he noticed me. He made to call out but changed his mind. Picking some half-dried grass off the ground, he offered it to me.

"Take the nice grass, horsey," he said, walking up to me. Did he really think I'd want to eat that? No. In my cave, I got tasty apples and aromatic hay as well as crunchy oats. Grass was nice, too, but not if it had almost the same color as the rocks around it. I kept backing up, always in mind not to take the direction in which my master was standing.

This game was funny but also boring. The big soldier was persistent and kept coming closer with the smelly grass. It must have disrupted my sense of smell because all of a sudden, I felt a rope closing around my hind hoof and I was trapped. I didn't even smell the other soldier. Ah well, no struggling now. It would only serve to draw out my master. And I was sure he'd come and get me, wherever I'd be. It would be a nice change for once.

***zzz***

Oh, this humiliation. Here I was in the cuartel, having to endure the soldiers painting me with cold, white color. And that ridiculous straw hat they put on me was definitely much better for eating than anything else. The big soldier, Garcia, I think they call him, seemed quite pleased with the handiwork of the other soldier. I wasn't, but nobody bothered to ask me.

I looked around the cuartel, seeing if it was possible to get away on my own accord. No dice. The short soldier, Reyes, crossed my line of vision when he stomped off with the offending paint bucket. He didn't look happy. But why should he fare better than myself? Just then, I heard Garcia behind me call out.

"Bring me a bucket of water before you go up to your quarters, Corporal!"

The soldier didn't move. He only pouted and crossed his arms defiantly, then went to sneak up the stairs anyways.

"Bring me a bucket of water!"

Snorting softly, I took pity on the big soldier. Using my lips, I pulled the knot free that tied me to the beam. Then I walked over to where I had seen a bucket of water. I picked it up between my teeth and walked over to Garcia, dropping the bucket next to him before I returned to my spot. On the top veranda, I made out Reyes watching the scene with a silly grin on his face.

"Gracias," the big soldier called.

De nada, I snorted softly.

"If my back didn't itch so much I could sit here a hundred years and never move," Garcia sighed out loud. Hmm, his back was itching, was it? That could be remedied. I walked back to the soldier and started shoving at his back using my head.

"Oh, that feels good, Corporal."

Corporal? Do I have a mustache? I will show him, confusing me with the short soldier. I doubled my shoving efforts slowly.

"My, what soft hands you have," Garcia drawled. Oh no, this man was even more confused than I had thought. Soft hands indeed. Running out of patience, I pushed harder and faster at the soldier's back.

"Not so hard, Corporal. It was so much nicer when you did it easier..." Garcia trailed off. I had enough. He had called me Corporal once too many. By now, he was starting to realize that something was off. Garcia turned and got a fright, seeing it was me behind him and not that silly corporal. Losing his balance, the big man fell off the chair into the footbath and rolled all around. I had seen enough. Had I been able to, I would have laughed. Since I couldn't, I decided to take pity on him, picking up the hat Garcia had lost in his tumble and dropping it into his hands.

"Gracias," Garcia started and then looked sheepishly, realizing he had just thanked a horse. Well, my friend, I'm no ordinary horse.

At that moment, I saw my master enter the cuartel. He did look different. Usually he was dressed all in black. Now, however, he was wearing a rusty brown suit. He still smelled the same, though. I snorted slightly but he ignored me.

"What are you doing, Sergeant?" I heard my master call out to the big soldier, who was still sitting on the ground.

"Don't ask, Don Diego. I thought... then I turned around and... anyway, he started it." Garcia sounded somewhat flustered, pointing at me.

My master laughed heartily. "And I believe he finished it, too." With that, he gave the soldier a hand to help him up. I took the moment to approach my friend again, but he merely took a step back and pointed away from him. Alright, another game. Pretend not to know him. Fine, I'll play.

"Gracias," the sergeant thanked my master, who now took in my appearance. Oh, how silly I must have looked.

"I noticed the peculiar markings on your new horse, Sergeant," my master remarked. "I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it."

Did I look that bad? Oh dear.

"I don't think he quite likes it, either," Garcia replied. Damn right you are. Now that the paint has dried, it's starting to itch and pull on my coat when I move.

Then the big man's voice became somewhat secretive. "This is Zorro's horse," he told my master.

Zorro. That's what they call my master. At least when he's in the black outfit. It made me wonder. Did Garcia not know he was talking to Zorro? It didn't look like it. Usually when they call his name they start chasing us. Not this time.

"Zorro's horse?" My master sounded astounded. "But... how in the world...?" Oh dear, is everyone confused today? My master knew it was me. Why did he act so... weird?

"Never mind how," Garcia replied. I walked off. I had about enough of this charade. I had enough of the paint and the straw hat. Finding a quiet place, I started to doze a bit.

***zzz***

Around evening, I noticed a commotion in the cuartel. Earlier, someone had taken pity on me and washed that paint off. I enjoyed feeling normal again. Now, however, I felt alarmed. They were dragging someone into the jail cells. Someone who didn't move on his own accord. And that someone smelled like my master. I snorted, agitated. He wouldn't be sleeping at this time of day and yet I saw, when they dropped him on the cot in the cell, he didn't move. I didn't like it one bit.

The sergeant sat guard in front of the cell. I was happy seeing that life returned to my master not long after. He got up and he was furious. I had never heard him yell at someone the way he did now at Garcia. The soldier must have said something to calm him because my master sounded a bit less furious thereafter.

When it got dark, I heard he sergeant, who was still sitting in front of my master's cell, starting to snore. Oh joy. I tried to focus on something else so I could maybe rest a bit when I heard a hissing sound.

Lifting my head, I noticed my master signaling to me. I freed myself from the rope again and walked over to the cell. My friend was pointing at something at Garcia's side. The cell keys. Of course. Gently picking the key ring up with my mouth, I dropped them carefully into my master's hands.

Watching my friend as he unlocked the cell to withdraw the soldier's saber, I felt the rush of adventure flooding my veins. I knew it wouldn't take long until I could run to my heart's content. I wasn't disappointed.

Having fashioned a similar outfit Zorro usually wore, my master woke up the sergeant and got him to open the gate of the cuartel. Then all hell broke loose when he jumped onto my back and I raced towards freedom.

Just as I was going through the gates, I felt the familiar weight of my master missing. Unable to stop in time, I was in the plaza as the gates closed again. I could only think of one thing to do. I trotted up to my usual waiting spot at the rear cuartel wall. From inside there came the sounds of clashing swords. There was a lot of shouting and running and shooting and finally my master appeared over the wall.

The chase was on. As soon as I felt my master on my back, I raced off into the night, carrying my friend to safety.