Chapter 3:

Toronado didn't have to wait long for his master though. Diego had become an expert in changing clothes quickly.

"Alright, old boy. Let's see what we can find." Zorro said while he jumped on the black stallion's back. Nobody, but his father and Felipe, had seen him coming out of the hacienda, they made sure of that.

Toronado was jumping from one leg to the other. He never felt so nervous or eager to ride as right now. In his eyes, there wasn't a second to lose. Zorro didn't have to spur him on to go.

Zorro's stallion walked carefully, looking at the ground, following the tracks as long as he possibly could. As long as there were tracks to follow.

They were riding for half an hour, Toronado suddenly stopped and didn't want to move a muscle anymore. His ears flat in his neck, looking around angrily. Zorro jumped off his back and started to look around, "It must be that the bandits had noticed their mistakes and started to wipe them out." Zorro said, petting Toronado's strong jaw. It was a trick Zorro used frequently. To bring the Soldiers on the wrong trail.

He started looking around, but he couldn't find anything that would lead them in the right direction. "I am sorry, boy, I can't see a thing in this darkness. We are going to have to return at dawn."

Toronado neighed angrily, +++ I don't want to stop searching, she needs my help. +++

Zorro sensed what his stallion was trying to say and sighed, "I know and I understand what you feel right now, boy. It's hard to feel powerless, but you have to stay strong for her. Take care of yourself because she is going to need you when we find her."

Toronado knew that his master was right and had only his best interest at heart, as well as Dulcinea's and the foal.

Toronado let his head hang in defeat, +++ Alright, you win, but I don't think I will sleep one bit tonight. +++

"Come on boy, I promise you we will continue our search in the morning." Zorro sighed and pulled the reins to go back to the cave. Toronado was thinking for a minute to refuse to move but decided against it. His master was doing his best to find her, so he let himself turn and spur on to run.

Finally, he arrived in the cave, Zorro jumped off his back, seeing his father and Felipe waiting for them.

"Did you find anything?" Don Alejandro asked a bit worried.

Zorro startled to hear his father's voice in the cave, this was going to be something he needed to get used to since he told his father his identity only an hour or so ago.

"The trail we followed suddenly stopped. We couldn't find anything new in the dark, so we returned home, I will continue the search tomorrow." Diego sighed while he was changing his clothes.

+++ Hey! What about me! +++ Toronado protested with a neigh.

"I am sorry, old boy. We will continue the search at dawn." Diego chuckled while he saw Felipe walking past him.

"Felipe, I will take care of Toronado tonight, why don't you and father go to sleep," Diego said placing a hand on the young man's shoulder.

The young servant nodded.

"If it's okay with you, Diego, I want to stay with you for a bit longer. You know to get to know my real son. To see how he works with his stallion after he saved the day." Don Alejandro asked curiously. He didn't want to let go of this opportunity.

"I don't mind at all. You must excuse me father, but I need to get used to the idea of you being down here. It was always me and Felipe until now." Diego said nodding to Felipe that it was alright with him.

Felipe nodded back, he knew that they had a lot to talk about. So he let the two De La Vega's in peace. He also knew that at moments like this, Toronado was best handled by the man also known as Zorro. The stallion could have a nasty temper after all.

"I suppose that Felipe is not really a deaf-mute?" Don Alejandro asked while approaching the stable.

Diego shook his head while he freed his horse from his saddle, "Felipe can't talk, he only said one word for as long as I know him and that was to save me. His only word was Zorro but he can hear. He has been Zorro's ears since the beginning. It was also Felipe who found this cave and a fox hiding in it. That's where the name Zorro comes from. When I first found out he could hear it was because he was afraid that we would treat him differently. I suppose he was afraid that he would lose our love and respect but all in all it was a nice added bonus, so we kept his hearing a secret too."

"Diego, where did you find such a magnificent animal?" His father asked while saw him free the animal from his bridle.

"Well, Felipe and I found him in the wild. I saved his probably first foal from certain death." Diego said while he started to rub Toronado dry with some straw before taking a brush, and started to work in the directions of his fur to make him shine in the sunlight.

The movements of the brush made the stallion relax to the moment where his mind traveled to that same day when he gave up his freedom for the greater good.

Toronado was eating some grass, from the little grassy areas he could find this time of the year in the hot desert surrounding the pueblo the Los Angeles. While keeping an eye on his herd. They didn't really care which human the property belonged to, only which territory was his.

He sort of had adopted a lone stallion who was abandoned by his herd. It was unusual for a stallion to accept another stallion in his herd, but Toronado or Diablo, as his name was during his wild period, was an unusual stallion. It was like he sensed that he wouldn't be free for much longer. The spirits had told their wise-mare, a mare believed that could talk to the great kings of the past. He would give up his freedom soon for the greater good.

He was keeping his ears open while eating when a young gray stallion called Romero came galloping towards where he knew his adoptive father would be because he was taken in by Toronado, didn't mean he had the right to the title of the crown prince. He did have the right to take over the herd when something would happen to him, at least until his newborn son was old enough to take over with the promise that Romero could stay until old age.

Romero was a big believer in the power of the kings of the past, so he knew when Toronado threatened to unleash it, if he found out that he didn't respect the deal, it would keep him down.

+++ Father, father, humans are roaming the territory, and little Bandito can't get up. I don't know what to do? +++ Romero neighed in worry about his little brother and the true crown prince of the horses.

+++ Lead me to Bandito first. +++ Toronado neighed back. He was a loving father for both of his sons, whether they were his own blood or not.

Romero turned around and did as he was told. Leading to the place where his favorite mare, the beautiful chestnut, Mariana was watching little Bandito. The chestnut foal was laying on the ground very weakened.

+++ Oh Diablo, Bandito isn't going to last another hour, he can't breathe, and he doesn't want to get up. Is there something you can do? +++

Toronado sighed deeply, +++ I wish… wait a minute, Mariana, I know that you are not going to like it, but there are humans close by, and if I sense that I can trust them, would you let them near our son? +++

Mariana thought deep and hard, +++ I trust you, my beautiful diablo. +++

Toronado nodded, +++ Romero, if for some reason something does happen to me, take good care of them for me. +++

Romero nodded, +++ I will I promise on the souls of the kings of the past. +++

+++ Good, now where did you see them? +++ Toronado asked, he would do anything to save the life of his firstborn son.

+++ A few miles to the north. +++ Romero answered, +++ I will go and protect the other mares. +++

Toronado nodded before running off, he was careful because he didn't want to be seen first. He didn't have to look hard before he noticed a large man on a palomino and a young man on a pinto. Something about the large man, made him feel trust immediately.

+++ Come on, Diablo, this your only shot. +++ He really hoped they would follow him.

He placed himself into view and started galloping. He heard the large man say how perfect he was, did he make a mistake after all, or was this the day he would give up his freedom for the greater good?

He didn't have to look behind him to know that they were following him. He took his place in front of the mother and her foal and acted like he was threatening them. He saw that the large man came carefully closer.

The soothing words made him relax just a bit more while the man walked past him. Eventually, he sensed that he could trust the large man and believed him when he said he wasn't going to hurt him, so he let the large man walk past him. Still, he needed to show that he wasn't just some stallion who he could mess with, so the moment Diego reached his foal, he reared again and again.

Mariana trusted her Diablo. So she allowed the man near her foal. His soothing words and voice made her relax even more.

Diego helped the foal on his feet and helped him to breathe easier, he wasn't wrong after all. This human really saved his son's life, and he would do anything now to repay his debt to the man.

"Let's be friends." The man said to him. For some reason, that is what he wanted too. This was the sign he was waiting for. He relaxed immediately, letting the man come near him. His hands gave him even more trust in the man. His days of freedom were over. He would now give his life to protect the savior of his son.

His new master placed a rope around the head of Toronado, +++ Tell Romero to be good for Bandito and the herd. +++ He said to Mariana.

Mariana nodded, a tear rolling over her cheek when he saw her Diablo been taken away by the large man.

He never regretted it. He even loved his new name. Toronado!

The last thoughts before going to sleep went to the love of his life. Dulcinea. Yes, he had cared for Mariana, but now he knew that what he felt wasn't love. No, his queen was Dulcinea, and it would be time to make that official. When and if they found her.

TBC