January 24th, 1821

The first ray of the morning sun caressed his tired face, and gave him the strength to carry on with the day's mission. He was again riding towards the Indian settlement but, this time, he was not riding to defend them from an impending attack, but to help them prevent any future ones. As the Sun began rising on the horizon, right in front of him, he steered Tornado up a hill and stopped to admire the view. It was the beginning of a new day, one he had, just yesterday, feared would never come. He smiled admiring that chess game between the sunlight and the night's shadows. So predictable! He thought. Every morning the light would win in a fast offensive, only to lose the game in the evening. So beautiful, nonetheless.

He was grateful for that new day. He was certainly grateful to see the sunrise again after all that time. For a few moments, he regretted not having taken his brushes and a canvas with him, but suddenly reminded himself that he needed to move on as he was running out of time.

Don Pablo's arrest and eventual confession was the newest piece of gossip in Los Angeles. After an hour behind bars, probably remorseful for his actions, he told De Soto that he had contracted the armed men, but insisted that he did not know that they were planning to kill the Indians. He also insisted that he had found gold on their land, telling him that the original nuggets had somehow been replaced with pyrites. De Soto was considering believing him, or, at least, finding out the truth for himself.

Trying to get information about the man's confession, Zorro had overheard Mendoza complaining about a new patrol due to depart early in the morning, under De Soto's leadership, towards the Indian settlement.

Given the circumstances, he knew that the faster he would get there, the better chances he had to make sure the lancers found nothing indicating the presence of gold on that land. Closing in on the village, he noticed that the people were already awake, waiting for him to arrive.

"Have you done as I counseled?" He asked as soon as he dismounted, while proceeding in reaching for a barrel of gunpowder and the sack filled with pyrites Tornado had been carrying there.

The old woman showed him a small basket filled with gold nuggets. The largest of them was almost as big as a child's fist, the smallest barely larger than a nail. All shone bright in the sunlight.

"I see you have done a good job!" He smiled satisfied. "Now, let's see if we can do just as good a job at making sure to seal their source!"

He took the gunpowder and, asking them to bring as many blankets as they had with them, headed towards the cave. When they arrived, Zorro instructed the women to carefully cover the ground around it with the blankets, then tested to see if there was water inside. Reasonably sure that the water level, which was present, was low enough, he positioned the gunpowder and, after everyone had cleared the area, he lightened a small fuse, blowing up the cave. The debris was caught on the blankets and, after checking there was no gold among them, they were discarded up the stream. Satisfied that nothing on the ground indicated the explosion, he proceeded to hand down the pieces of pyrite he had brought with him, in order to be scattered around. Some of the nicest pieces he kept for the leaders to show any future intruder in search of gold.

"Take it!" The old woman asked him as he was mounting Tornado, preparing to return to the hacienda. He looked at her and saw that she was holding the basket filled with gold. He considered advising them to bury it and keep it in case they needed to buy essentials from the colonists but, before uttering a word, he changed his mind, reached for the basket, and poured its contents into the sack in which he had brought the pyrite.

"There is something more you might want to do!" He said just before departing. "The soldiers are due to return here soon. It will be a party of 16 in total and they are led by a man with white hair and beard."

The people exchanged confused looks. They were thankful for the lancers' intervention, but they did not trust them, least of all, understand the reason for their sudden return.

"The man with white hair comes in search of the gold." He continued as they were becoming agitated. "You will have to show him some of the pieces of pyrite I have left you. Gift a few of them to the lancers you recognize, as a sign of gratitude for their help. If they show themselves interested, lead them to the stream, in the area where the pieces of pyrite are scattered. „As soon as he finished, another idea came to him. "Perhaps you should also do something else." He advised as a wicked smile brightened his face "Due to an incident from a while ago, the man with white hair believes that your people may have some kind of magical powers. Therefore, for him to leave you alone, you must convince him that you really do have magic." At this point, Zorro paused contemplating the irony of his affirmations. "To do that, you need to prepare a feast for them and place 16 blankets for the men to sit on. Then, since none of them speaks your language, whatever the man with the white hair says, just answer 'Francisca said you come. Spirits see you.' " Zorro spoke the words in Spanish and helped the old woman memorize them, as he tried to imagine De Soto's reaction at his plan. Too bad I cannot stay and watch. He thought.

He departed after saying his goodbyes, heading south, in order to avoid an encounter with the patrol, then, after a few miles, turned west and headed home.

Felipe was waiting in the cave for him and was puzzled to see his father bringing home all that gold. He stared at the rocks for a minute, studying them, then he signed, asking Diego why had he not left them with the Indians.

"I thought about doing that." He answered. "But I realized it was dangerous for them to have it."

Felipe asked what he was going to do with the gold.

"I thought we might use it in some of our experiments." Diego indicated as he was changing his clothes. "Before that, though, I need to measure it and find out how much it is worth. Those people may have little use for the gold but they do have use for money and for what that money can buy. You did not imagine I would take it without compensating them, did you?" He asked with a kind smile on his face, and Felipe grinned back at him.

It was a little after 10 a.m. when he entered the patio, finding his father relaxing, reading one of the new books. One Diego had already read about 3 times during that strange loop.

"Good morning, Diego!" Don Alejandro greeted him.

"Good morning, Father!" He answered with a yawn.

"I was waiting for you, son! We need to have a serious conversation about this gambling issue!" He stated.

"You needn't worry about it! I have certainly learned my lesson!" He answered with amusement.

"I see you are still not taking this seriously!" Don Alejandro frowned at him. "But it is! I have seen many men lose everything due to such addiction. You must promise me that you will never do it again, Diego!"

"Father, I am not a gambler, you know me better than that!" The younger man underlined with some annoyance.

"I thought I did, Son! But if you are not a gambler, why did you play? You could have lost 300 pesos from what I heard! What were you doing with that kind of money on you, anyway?"

Diego looked at his father who was, by now, fuming. Telling him he was setting a trap was rather tempting, but he knew it was too early to give the old don any clues as to his secret identity and recent experiences had underlined that his father would not be able to keep it a secret for too long.

"I was actually working on an article on that subject, Father." He answered, doing his best to sound convincing. "I had recently read a study on addictions and was wondering why people gamble. Since Don Pablo was a renowned gambler, I decided to test my theories on him." He answered.

"Test your theories, Diego? Couldn't you gamble a smaller sum to do that?"

"The higher the stake..." He pointed out.

"The bigger the reward..." His father completed. "So you are not a gambler?"

"Hardly!" Diego answered, and his father seemed satisfied.

"In that case, I am looking forward to reading your article."

"Well, with all that has happened yesterday, I have meanwhile decided to integrated it into the account regarding the attack on the Indian tribe" Diego informed Don Alejandro. "It will be in today's edition of The Guardian. Speaking of which, I should get going!" Finishing the third coffee of the morning, he headed for the library to ask Felipe to accompany him to town.

He was feeling exhausted after an almost sleepless night, so he hurried to finalize the editing and, with Felipe's help, printed 100 copies of the paper which took less than half an hour to sell. The main article, referring to the attack, highlighted, just as he had told Don Alejandro, the perils of gambling, and how men can become ruthless and misguided when losing their fortune in such a way. It also pointed out that what Don Pablo had thought to be gold on the Indian land, proved to be nothing more than pyrite and, thus, basically worthless.

By the time they were finished, it was mid-afternoon and Victoria had just opened after siesta.

"Buenas tardes, Victoria!" He greeted her at entering the almost-empty tavern.

"Diego!" She answered with a huge smile. "I am so happy to see you! I wanted to apologize for last evening. Don Alejandro explained to me earlier that you were working on a story. I should have known you were up to something!"

He could hardly hide his surprise at her words as he looked intently in her eyes. I should marry her again soon! He thought.

"Diego?" She asked blushing under his intense stare.

"I am sorry, Victoria" He said after shaking himself up. "I think I am rather tired. You wouldn't happen to have a room available for a friend, would you?"

"You certainly do look like you need a nap! Working through siesta must be tiring!" She teased him.

"You have no idea!"

"I don't have any room available, unfortunately, but you can use mine, and I will wake you up later for dinner!"

"Use your room? Are you certain about that?"

"Of course, Diego! You are my friend, and I am not using it right now. I will ask Pilar to take you upstairs, just to avoid any gossip." She decided. "You certainly look exhausted!"

"I am. And I do appreciate it. Please wake me up when my father arrives. He should meet me and Felipe here for dinner."

"I will do that!" She confirmed.

He climbed the stairs under Pilar's amused gaze and collapsed on the bed, letting her close the door.

Some 2 hours later, when Don Alejandro arrived, Victoria told him Diego was sleeping in her room, at which information both he and his friend, Don Emilio laughed heartedly, joking that, at least, the young caballero got into a woman's bed. Victoria frowned at their comments, and they apologized.

As Diego requested, she made her way upstairs and entered her bedroom. At that point, Diego was fast asleep, folded in a fetal position, and it took Victoria a few minutes to decide to wake him up. Somehow she found it natural for him to be sleeping in her bed, and just stared at him wondering why. Next thing she knew, she sat down and reached to kiss his lips, stopping short before touching them, when she realized what she was doing. Coming out of her reverie, she put her right arm on his shoulder, and shook him gently.

"Diego! Diego!" She called in a low, soothing voice. "Your father is here!"

"Victoria!" He answered, taking a deep breath as he woke up. "Thank you. Please tell him I will be right with him."

She smiled and nodded, then left the room, wondering why she had almost kissed her friend. When he was asleep nonetheless, and couldn't even react! I must be missing Zorro too much! She told herself as she was entering the kitchen.

"Oh! Here you are, Son!" Don Alejandro exclaimed at seeing Diego, half-awake, climbing down the stairs.

"Here I am, Father!" He confirmed, sitting next to Felipe at Don Alejandro's table.

"I was just discussing your editorial with Emilio. You did an excellent job!" He congratulated him.

"That is true, Diego! You are quite a writer!" Don Emilio confirmed.

"I just put the story on paper, Don Emilio. It is my father who actually lived through it. I am very proud of you and your men, if I haven't already mentioned that, Father!" Diego answered.

"Thank you, Son! I must say, it was rather thrilling!" He answered with a proud smile. "We both did our parts, didn't we? Even if you are not a man of action, this paper of yours does a great service to the community, and I am also proud of you, for that!"

Diego smiled and wondered if he would ever get used to being complemented by his father.

"Do you know where the good Sergeant is?" Diego asked, noticing there was no lancer in the tavern, which was rather unusual.

"I believe he and his men are all in the cuartel!" Don Emilio answered with some amusement in his voice.

"Yes… Apparently, De Soto wanted to check out for himself if there was any truth to Don Pablo's claim to have found gold near the Indian camp." Don Alejandro chuckled. "I don't know what happened, but they did not talk to anyone since they've returned, in a very distraught state, this afternoon. De Soto was white as a ghost! You should have seen him. The look on the man's face! I tell you, Diego, it was priceless!"

The tall caballeor tried to hide a smile, and faked an interested concern.

"You know, Father, I have been thinking!" He uttered after they finished their meals while talking about the events of the previous day. "Maybe we could do more for those people! Perhaps take them some provisions and necessities: clothes, blankets, pottery." He suggested.

"That is a very good idea!" Don Alejandro confirmed. "They are quite poor and there were a lot of small children in the village. Yes! Very good idea, Son!"

"What idea?" Victoria questioned as she came to clean up the table.

"Diego suggested we should help the Indians with some necessities." Don Emilio informed her.

"That is a good idea! I am sure there is much we could do for them!" She answered. "I, for one, would certainly want to contribute!"

"You are very generous, Victoria!" Diego complimented her, and she offered him a loving smile back.

ZZZ

News about Diego's initiative spread fast throughout the pueblo. It was not the first time the citizens of Los Angeles decided to donate some of their things to help the natives and, sooner than expected, three wagons filled with supplies, varying from grains and beans to metal cooking utensils, clothes and blankets, were ready to head east, towards the village. De Soto and the lancers refused to accompany the small caravan, neither one of them willing to return to the Indian settlement too soon, a fact which confirmed to Diego that his plan had worked.

Don Emilio and three of his tenants, Don Alejandro, two of his vaqueros, Diego, Victoria, Felipe and Doctor Hernandez – who was mainly interested to see if he might find some new Indian remedy but also willing to help if the natives needed him -, headed for the tribe in the early morning, a few days after the attack.

It took them a little more than four hours to reach the settlement, and were met with joy as the inhabitants recognized Don Alejandro and his vaqueros as some of those who had saved them. They were also happy to receive the unexpected gifts, which they accepted with undisguised enthusiasm. The old woman looked at them with interest for a while, standing in front of her tent, and Diego did not miss her stare. While his father and the other Angelinos were doing their best to have mostly sign-based conversations with the tribe leaders, she made her way towards him and smiled at seeing his face.

"Kaweewesh!" She uttered as she recognized him.

Diego grinned as he was expecting to be recognized. They were behind some tents, and he made sure they were not being watched.

"Diego!" He replied hoping the woman understood.

"Diego!" She confirmed.

He headed towards one of the wagons and, making sure no-one was looking his way, took out a box from a secret compartment and brought it to her.

"These are Spanish pesos." He said in Togva, offering her the box. "They will help you buy the things you need. I offer them in exchange for your gold."

The woman took the box and opened it. She had seen such pieces of metal before since they had, every few years, traded in the nearby Spanish settlements, but never had she seen so many of them in one place.

"There are 5232 pesos there. They will help your tribe survive for a long time." Diego told her. "But you should keep them hidden, and only spend small amounts, from time to time!"

The woman smiled at him with gratitude and headed back to her tent from where she watched him attentively the rest of the day.

"Here you are, Diego!" Victoria exclaimed as she came near him with a child in her arms.

"That suits you!" He told her with a big grin.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" She asked, puzzled by the way he was looking around.

"Nothing, really. I was just taking in the sights. Maybe I will paint the village when I return to the hacienda. It is a rather peaceful place, don't you think?"

"You are right, Diego! It is beautiful!" She confirmed.

"Shall we join my father and the others?" He suggested, and she agreed with a nod.

They stayed in the village for several hours, only setting out back to Los Angeles in the afternoon. They shared a meal with the natives, the men showed them their tools and weapons, the women taught Victoria to cook some of their traditional dishes, and Diego and Felipe enjoyed watching children playing. When it was time for them to leave, with Diego further away, talking to Don Alejandro, the old woman went to Victoria and told her something in her language that the young taverness could not understand, then left and returned to her tent.

"The Fox loves you very much!" Doctor Hernandez translated at seeing her inquisitive face.

"What?" She asked him, not sure she understood.

"That is what she said. At least, if my translation is right. I am not an expert in Tongva, but I do know enough to communicate with them." He told her.

"Do you believe she was talking about Zorro?" Victoria asked him with a smile.

"Unless she was referring to some random fox living around here!" The doctor teased her. "Si, Senorita Victoria, I do believe she was talking about your masked man. He was the one who came to their aid, after all."

"Do you think he told her about me?"

"Probably. Maybe the Spirits told her, who knows? These people live under different rules than us!" He concluded, gathering his medical equipment and heading back to the wagon, but not before noticing Diego looking in the direction of the old woman, now standing in front of her tent, a grateful smile shining on her face as she looked back at him.

Doctor Hernandez spent the voyage to Los Angeles thinking about the words he had translated for Victoria. He rationalized that they had, probably, offered Zorro marriage with one of the young women of the tribe, and he had to decline – as he did once before – by confessing his undying love for the young tavern owner. What the doctor failed to understand, however, was how the old woman knew it was Senorita Escalante who their masked hero was in love with. How could she know her face, if she had never before visited the village?

Pondering on that, a bump in the rode made him look up. As he glanced towards the wagon in front of his, at Diego and Victoria, it dawned on him: Diego de la Vega was Zorro.

Author's note: For those who are wondering about the spirits' warning or at the mentioning of De Soto's dead sister, the truth is that I have, from the beginning of this story, decided to integrate it with some of the others I have previously written, and cannot help myself from referencing them. I did that also in some previous chapters, referencing, rather subtly, the stories A Close Call and A Carol for De Soto. The warning can be understood by reading Mama Mia and The Man Behind the Mask. All these stories, including the one you've just read, are to be part of my integrating story Of Men and Legends. However, since I hate repeating myself, GroundFox Day will only be partially included, and approached for different angles, so the complete version will only ever be available as a stand-alone story.

PS: This story is to be continued with The Fox and the Hound, featuring the return of one very smart detective.

As always, let me know if you enjoyed reading my story. It really helps motivating me to write more!