Chapter 4

Diego was on his way over to talk with the Padre when he heard that a young girl about the age of 7 was missing. He quickly left the pueblo to help look for the young girl. His conversation with the Padre would have to wait till a later time. He rode back to the cave and changed into his alter ego, and began his search. He thought back to what he heard a group of women talking about before he left the pueblo, "she was helping her mother with the chickens, and that is when she disappeared," a women with a big hat had said as he passed by them. Another said that the girl and her family lived close to the De La Vega's.

Diego started searching the paths and trails around his fathers land. He found tracks that lead to an old mine that had been closed years ago. He hoped the youngster was smart enough to stay away from the old mine. He heard someone crying, and could only hope it was the young girl he was searching for.

"Who's there? Are you alright?" Zorro's eyes searched all over the ground and then noticed a brightly colored skirt lying in the dirt next to a large rock. He did not want to frighten her, so he slowly dismounted and carefully made his way across the rocky and uneven ground between him and the youngster.

"What is your name? I am here to help you." He reached out to put his gloved hand on her small arm.

The girl rolled over to see who was next to her. Zorro saw that she was still crying a bit, and shaking. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had dirty tear streaked cheeks.

"My name is Anna." She gave him a scared look.

"My name is Zorro," he introduced himself with a friendly smile.

"Are you hurt in any way?" He asked her, eyes and voice full of concern.

"No, I am just scared. They took me from my mommy and left me here all by myself." Anna told him.

"Let's get you home to your parents. They are very worried about you." Zorro picked her up off the ground and carried her over to Toronado. He put her onto Toronado's back, and climbed up to sit behind her.

"There, there little one, you are safe now. You will be home with your parents very soon." He patted her on the arm, and they started down the path to the main road that led to the pueblo.

Zorro questioned Anna about who took her, how many men there were, and why they left her at the old mine while they rode back to the pueblo.

Anna told him that she was helping her mother catch the chickens so they could put them in the coop. One of the chickens ran behind the old house they lived in. She went chasing after it, and was snatched up as she went around the back corner of the house. She told him there were three men, and they had the bottom half of their faces covered with red clothes. Zorro took off his black cape, and wrapped it around her so she could stay warm when she started to shake again.

Zorro was thinking about what Anna told him when something caught his eye. Something did not feel right to him. His suspicions were confirmed when one man armed with a pistol, jumped out from behind a tree, and two more men armed with swords slowly advanced toward the masked rider and his young passenger. The banditos closed in on Toronado slowly, each had a look of evil on their covered and dirty faces.

"I am going to make sure that you are safe, so please hold on tightly. I am going to jump off, and Toronado will take you to the pueblo." Zorro whispered into Anna's ear. She gave him an understanding nod, and gripped the reins he handed her tightly.

Zorro jumped off of Toronado, but just before he landed, one of the bandits swiped at his left arm with his sharp sword. Zorro fell to the ground and yelled for Toronado to go to the pueblo.

Toronado took off galloping toward the pueblo with Anna holding on tightly.

"We have you now Zorro," spat one of the banditos.

Zorro made sure Toronado and Anna were out of the way before he stood up to face the bandits. He felt a hot pain shoot through his left shoulder.

"You think you have me, but we all know who will win." A wicked smile spread across his face, and he stood up to solute his challengers. The bandit with the pistol aimed at Zorro, and pulled the trigger. Zorro jumped out of the way as the wide shot when whizzing by him. Before the bandit could reload, Zorro sent him spinning to the ground after he punched him square in the jaw. The other two bandits watched as their comrade fell to the ground, and tried to run away. Zorro caught them and tied the bandits to a nearby tree.

The pain in his left shoulder was forgotten until now. He reached his right hand up to his left shoulder to check how deep the blade had cut him. The cut was not deep, but it was still bleeding badly. He slumped against a nearby tree and closed his eyes as the pain stabbed through his shoulder.