Spirit 2 : Stallion of the Century

Chapter 1

Spirit: The Return Home

Hii everyone! This is ma first Spirit fanfic, so I hope you all like it. This is just a kind of intro chapter to start things going so apologies for making it so short. Ive rewritten the end of the movie basically (although the original ending was so sweet!) and twisted it a little bit...well...a lot lol. Please R&R, and if you have any ideas, critiscisms etc then don't b afraid 2 tell me. If people point out something or have an idea, it helps me improve my writin so you can enjoy it even more. Anyway, onto the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirit (sob) or any of the original characters but I do own my own characters.

Spirit and Rain galloped eagerly on for days through the grassy slopes of the wild, adrenaline pumping through their bodies from the sheer thrill of being free again. Spirit looked at Rain lovingly as the sun hung high in the cloudless sky, its rays basking the world below in light. Rain returned his gaze, her dark blue eyes swirling with excitement and happiness. As Spirit spotted the eagle flying high in the sky, he neighed with delight and reared up, greeting his old friend. The eagle cried back, happy to see that his friend was free again at last. The eagle greeted Rain, and Rain neighed in reply before the two horses continued to gallop towards home. Finally, the grassy slope that Spirit recognised as home came into view. So many childhood memories came back to Spirit. The first time he opened his eyes after his mother, Esperenza, had given birth to him, he was fascinated with the world and all its mysteries. As he grew, so did his mind. He wanted to know as much as he could about the world, but he also knew that he would never know everything. Unfortunately, its his curiosity that had led him to man. Spirit stopped his thoughts there. He didn't want to relive what had happened to him, but he didnt want to let go of those memories either. Strangely, he felt he wanted to hold onto them, even though his time spent with the cavalry was far from happy. Rain nudged him out of his thoughts, and Spirit nudged her playfully back. They galloped down the slope together, feeling the grass beneath their hooves and the wind in their manes.

But something was wrong.

Spirit stopped suddenly, causing Rain to come to a halt beside him. Spirit looked around, and emptiness greeted him. Nothing seemed to move; not even the wind seemed to move the trees' leaves or the lush grass under Spirit's feet. It was completely silent.

"Spirit, what's wrong?" Rain asked uneasily, even though she knew the answer.

"The herd! Where are they?" Spirit started to panic and cantered frantically around, looking for any signs that would lead him to his herd.

"Maybe the herd just moved on to new lands because something happened here, like another herd invaded or the food was growing scarce."

"They wouldn't move. This is their home and they would have stayed here no matter what."

"Spirit..."

"My mother wouldn't have let anything happen to the herd...she cared for every horse, even the ones that everybody else picked on or shunned. Something bad must have happened..." Spirit trailed off, obsorbed in his own thoughts. He could handle wranglers or the cavalry, but if anything had happened to the herd... Rain came up to Spirit and put her head under his, trying to calm him down as well as herself.

"Spirit, standing here doing nothing won't help the herd. We better start looking for them." Spirit allowed his head to rest on Rain's neck before he broke the embrace, staring with determination at the grassy landscape that seemed to go on for miles. He broke into a swift canter, with Rain beside him. Spirit sniffed the air, trying to pick up the scent of anything that would help.

"Darn! There isn't any scent at all. This must have happened a long while ago." Spirit neighed in irritation.

"Well, whatever it is, we're gonna get the herd back, no matter what." Rain had the same determination as Spirit had, even though she hadn't even met the herd yet. The sun was still high as they ran on the open plain,both of the horses not sure exactly where they were going. Spirit whispered to himself a promise which he would never break, which he would never do again.

"I promise you, my herd, that I will never leave you again. I swear on my mothers life that I will protect you until the day I die, even if I am no longer leader. For you are my herd, and I am your protector."