Seto endured another sleepless night in that lonely pasture. Although his stomach was full, his heart was empty. He shook his head and decided to gallop a while to work off his nervous energy. As the warm night air whispered past him, he never seemed to get weary, just more hyped and anxious. The other two stallions tryed to follow him, but he chased them away. He bucked and pranced trying to calm himself, but it was no use. Seto's nervous antics ceased and he trotted to the middle of the pasture and collapsed in the soft grass like an exhausted colt. He lay his head down nibbling at the blades of grass that tickled his velvety nose. He snorted and lay in a sternal recumbent and lifted his head, gazing at the endless sky. It was so beautiful out here, he had never seen a sky like this in Domino or anywhere else he had been. The moon was full in the indigo sky, with stars like diamonds sparkling around a single pearl. He sighed and wished that he could share it with his brother who was in Domino, worried sick about him. Yet all outside his workaholic world was beautiful, it was painful without Mokuba. If horses could cry, he would. Seto shook his head. No way! He was no sissy like that mutt Wheeler and that shrimpy Yugi. He was no cry baby!

The light near the big barn lit the Reno Wild Horse Rescue Center. Seto pricked his ears towards the light but remained still. The silouette of a short figure emerged from the silent barn and walked out. The figure had black hair and seemed to be looking for someone. Mokuba! He had come to get him!

Mokuba! Seto whinnied and lept to his feet with joy he ran like lighting towards the figure until he reached the gate. The figure stopped at looked at him for a moment. Seto nickered and pawed the gate. Release me, Mokuba and we can go home!

The figure laughed and approached Seto, but it wasn't Mokuba. It was Rae, with her chocolate brown hair and her sky blue eyes beaming ay Seto.

"Hah, you like me already, Zanz!" Rae laughed.

A cold anger sank deep into Seto's stomach like a dagger. He blinked his eyes, surely he must have seen Mokuba somewhere. He felt so embarassed, for looking stupid and running up to her like a loyal hound dog. And who the heck is Zanz? He wondered.

"Why are you so glad to see me?" Rae asked and reached up to stroke Seto's neck. Seto snapped at her and backed away giving her a warning snort.

"Your such a big snake!" she snapped jokingly at him and watched him trot huffily out of sight, the twilight veiling his coal black hide.

Seto looked back at Rae who was staring at him silently in the moonlight. He heard her give a sigh and she turned back to the big barn and the sky became dim again. Seto hadn't realized how much he missed Mokuba. How could he have mistaken a girl for his very own brother? He nipped himself angrily. This was going to drive him crazy in about a week or so. He had to get out somehow. He was under so much stress he didn't realize how exhausted he was. He wanted to sleep, but was afraid to. He was afraid of bringing back terrible memories such as the childhood memories that flooded his brain every moment of his life. He had dreams like he had before, as if he were galloping into an endless canyon and Mokuba calling his name over and over again.


Rae woke up early that morning and stared at the ceiling with shadows of dawn dancing across it. She turned over on her side and looked at the black horse galloping in the picture. She blinked, swearing that she almost saw it move.

Rae came back to reality and shook her head and looked at her clock in alarm.

"Whew, it's only 7:30, I better get down to the Rescue Center!" she jumped out of her bed and dressed quickly into some jeans and some comfortable riding boots, she would ride up to the Rescue Center instead of waking up her father to drive her down there.

Rae grabbed a doughnut from the pantry and raced out the door towards the small stables where ten Saddlebred horses were kept. She gobbled down her small breakfast and walked to Rex's stall. The chestnut looked curoislu at her and neighed a greeting to his rider. Rae smiled and patted Rex's neck as he searched her empty pockets for a treat.

"Guess again, boy," Rae said and took his bridle off the nearby bridle hook and put it over his head. Rex snorted a protest and backed away from Rae into the back of his stall.

Rae laughed and finished tacking and grooming her mount before riding out. Rae decided to ride in her English saddle this time. It felt so good not having the leather rub her legs and feeling more in control. She used her legs to squeeze Rex into a brisk trot towards the dusty riding trail. The gelding pricked his ears and began to trot proudly like a show horse. He lifted his feet high off the ground and arched his neck. Rae patted his neck, he was such a good horse, it didn't matter what had happened between them in the past.

The riding trail cut off into a small portion of asphalt road and then a bicycle trail. Rae had plotted this route last night on foot, this would lead directly to the back of the 25 acre mare pasture at the Rescue Center.

The trail led just as Rae had planned, and she saw a few mares grazing in the lush, knee deep grass. She startled them as she approached and they broke into a chorus of pounding hooves and excited neighs. She waved at them as they examined her from afar and headed up to the main barn. Her horse, Zanzibar, was in his own pasture looking out at the mountains. She felt sorry for him, she knew how much he missed the sage, and clear brooks, and fresh mountain air that he loved so much. Rex whinnied a greeting to the stallions and the other two answered. Zanzibar remained silent, yet he pricked his ears. When his eyes met Rae's, heimmediatly bolted in the opposite direction and fled into the back of the pasture.

"Come back!" Rae called out to Zanzibar. She sighed, her heart sank, there was no way he was ever going to trust her again. She turned Rex away from the pasture and rode to the main barn where Vicky was grooming a firey chestnut foal. The foal was in cross-ties and looked slightly nervous as Vicky went over him with the brush. She was murmuring to it softly and rubbing her hands over it's soft neck.

"Is he a mustang?" asked Rae as she dismounted Rex.

"Oh, hi, Rae...yes, he is a mustang foal, his name is Flame, he was adopted yesterday and today he's going to his new home. I was just handling him some so he can get used to being groomed and tied," she patted Flame's shoulder. The foal winced but then relaxed as he felt the soft brush bristles message his coat. He twitched an ear curiosly in Rex's direction.

"He's cute, what did his dam look like?" Rae asked trying to remember the different mares she had seen in the mare pasture.

"She was a mousy color, her name is Terra, I gave her that name personally because she's an earthen color," Vicky said.

"What about his sire? Was it Zanzibar?" Rae asked.

"No, actually none of Zanzibar's D.N.A. matches any of the foals here, I suppose maybe he was an outsider from a different herd," Vicky continued to groom the colt in silence. "His sire is that grulla stallion, Goku, oh and the bay one, he has most of the foals here, his name is Darigan,"

Rae felt confused. She wanted to know what Zanz's foals would look like so badly. It was too bad he didn't father one as beautiful as Flame. Rae tied Rex to a tying hook on the other side of the barn and gave him a flake of hay to snack on. Rae couldn't wait until it was time for Zanzibar to come home. She would prove to her parents that she was responsible and could handle him like she had done to Rex. She would show them when she won the Gold Medal at the Olympics that following year. Rae patted Rex on his neck and left him to eat while she went outside to the pasture to go see Zanz.

Rae sat on the fence and watched Goku bucking and rolling in the grass. The grulla stallion whinnied with joy and broke into a gallop. Rae wished Zanzibar would run again. He looked beautiful when he ran, with his silky mane and tail trailing behind him like black fairy dust. Rae watched the small forest carefully waiting for her horse to come out to greet her like he had done that night. She wondered what had happened between them that made him come to her. It had to be something magical. She sighed, maybe he was just settling in and needed to get used to people. He seemed like he'd be a very defiant and head strong horse. But Rae admired that about him.

Seto stood under the shade of the forest watching Rae sitting on the gate. He knew she was waiting for him to prance up to him like a big dog and lick her face. He wouldn't go near her if she had a whole bucket full of oats, which he wanted now. His stomach grummbled noisily and he felt slightly weak. He sniffed the ground and snatched a few blades of grass growing near the base of a tree. It wasn't as rich and dewy like the grass in the upper part of the pasture. Seto ate the entire stringy patch of grass and looked for more until he was near the fence again and then gave up all together. He sighed, wishing his foot wasn't hurt, wishing that he didn't come here at all to this barren Navada. Seto heard the cry of an eagle and he saw it's tawny brown wings glint against the sky as it soared over head. Seto whinnied to it, wishing he had tunred into an eagle instead of a weak, stupid horse.

Seto heard human footsteps heading towards his direction. Seto's body tensed, preparing the flee. Seto strained his delicate black ears, listening for a voice or call. He saw that girl named Rae again. She carried no halter as far as Seto could see and she had a bucket of grain in her hand. The sweet aroma of the grain made Seto's nostril's flutter with delight and his stomach gave a mighty grummble. Rae clicked her tongue and shook the grain bucket and at the same time held out a bright orange carrot. Seto licked his chops and stamped as Rae urged him to come closer to her. He wanted her to come to him.

Seto turned a tight circle and faced her again. He gave a long, high, horsey whistle and took one step forward and then quickly stepped back. Surprisingly, Rae put the blue bucket down and left him alone, she also dropped the orange carrot on the ground.

Seto waited until Rae was gone before diving into the bucket. He had never had a better breakfast. It was warm, soaked pellets, dribbled with mollases and honey and some sort of sweet herb. Seto ate slowly, savoring the taste, he thought he had ever tasted anything so good in his life. Not even the hot meals he ate at his mansion were this great. Seto nosed around the orange carrot. He disliked carrots.

After Seto had eaten the whole bucket he gave a whinny of satisfaction and shook his powerful black neck. He felt warm and fired up, and he felt like galloping a few strides, but he knew that he needed to wait a while or risk getting cramps. Seto playfully kicked the bucket over an nudged it into a mud puddle before trotting slowly out of the forest. He took a few mouthfuls of grass, it was fresh with dew.

As Seto grazed, the big grulla stallion, Goku approached him. The black stallion ignored him, he knew that he had taught Goku a lesson and he didn't need to worry about the grulla hurting him. But Goku wanted revenge. The grulla nipped Seto's shoulder. Seto winced but didn't move much. He gave Goku a warning snort and resumed feasting on the grass.

Goku bellowed and reared on his hindlegs, his hoof grazed Seto's left shoulder. Seto squealed in agony and made a threatening glare at the grulla. Seto's shoulder had a small gash and a stream of fresh blood trickled down it. Seto nursed it briefly before facing Goku. Seto snaked his head towards Goku showing his teeth and laying back his ear flat to his skull. Goku reared again. Seto screamed and rose on his hindlegs. His black body towered above Goku's. The black stallion lashed out with his hoof striking Goku on the chest. Goku groaned and swung around and tryed to kick Seto with his huge back hooves. Seto dodged them nimbly and struck Goku's barrel with his flint-hard hindfeet. The grulla stummbled and fell hard on the ground. Seto attacked the stallion with kicks and bites. Goku neighed in agony and got up torn and bleeding, huge bruises and gashes covered his hide as he loped away. Seto reared and bugled with triumph. He bucked and galloped across the green pasture, startling Darigan who was gazing at the mountains.

Seto stopped rejoicing when he felt his shoulder seer with pain. He paused to lick to wound. The blood had already reached his cannon bone. Seto nickered in pain and walked back into the middle of the pasture to nurse it. It was deep, although Goku's hoof had merely brushed it with his hoof. Seto sighed, knowing it would leave an ugly bruise and scar on his shoulder.

He noticed that Rae hadn't come trotting back up to the gate to see what he was doing. Seto threw his head up and grazed on the grass, his stomach was settled now and he had enough room for some of the tender grass. The son was rising high in the sky and making him sweat all over. Seto hated the heat. It was terrible on his injury. He stopped eating and stared at the sky and he inhaled the warm summer breeze. It would have been a good day for sun bathing if he was a human. He shook his body like a wet dog and lay in the grass. The grass still had some cool dew on it and it was wonderful to feel it on his hot belly. Seto lay on his side and then rolled over on his back. He shook the remaining grass that clung to the sweat of his glossy black coat and continued to eat again.

That's when he heard the roaring of a truck engine rattling up the gravel driveway...

to be continued...