Hey there Spirit fans!
I apologize it has been a long time since I've updated this particular story. I admit, it has been FAR too long, but I also had other story projects I was working on, so this one got bumped to the bottom of the list. Very sorry! Anyway, I do hope you can forgive me. Here we have chapter 10! Enjoy! :)

Winter was coming. The days grew shorter, and colder. Darkness came sooner in the evenings, and with it the increasingly bitter chill of night. For Esperanza and her herd, this meant that finding food would be twice as hard. Luckily, the lead mare had a routine every winter, and it had served her and her herd very well in the past years. There was a section of woods between two mountains that they moved to stay within during the colder days of winter, which buffeted the harsh winds and where grass was more accessible under the gathering snow. It was this part of the woods, in which the herd was now traveling to. Esperanza wasn't proud that she had decided to leave Breeze behind, but after several days with no sign of the young filly, she'd given up all guesses as to where she'd gone.

It was possible a stallion had snatched the young, silly filly up while she had been off grazing alone, and if that were the case then Breeze was most likely doing just fine. After all, there was little chance her absence could be caused by something else. There were no predators big enough out here to take down a fast, strong young mare, nor had there been any curious scents that wreaked of two-leggeds. Esperanza never liked knowing she'd lost a member of the herd, but right now, she had too much to worry about and Breeze could not be troubling her mind with so many other pressing matters. Spirit had still not returned, and Esperanza was on the verge of loosing all hope that she would ever see her son again. The thought was painful and difficult to bare, but as winter was now here, the lead mare had to keep herself very busy...

Meanwhile,

Jim's recovery from the bullet wound took a few days. They stayed in the camp for four days before deciding Jim was well enough to move on and continue their journey. Luckily for Breeze, she had had the time up till then to think over what it was she really wanted in life. After many hours, standing somberly and nibbling on the remaining weeds that the cold had not yet killed off, Breeze came to her conclusion. What she wanted was stability: A herd and a stallion she could count on, and right now, Red and his group of misfits were the only ones who could offer that. There was a chance that Spirit might have returned to Esperanza's herd, but at the same time, what if she went back and he wasn't there? Breeze decided that she would not risk it.

Now, aside from these more sensible thoughts, there were also Breeze's feelings to think about. She had no doubt developed a strong liking to Red and she feared she would regret leaving him. She had grown rather accustomed to his manners, however strange they were, and even when he corrected her and made her mad occasionally, staying with him was still worth it. He was gentle, attentive and a good, smart leader. Breeze was most certain that Red had grown up in the wild, because he heard and saw everything that needed hearing or seeing. He was constantly on the alert and very good at making sure each of the herd members were behaving themselves. His brother, Swish, he fought with every so often, as they were close in age and temper and tended to bump heads, but Red always came out on top, defeating Swish quite easily in those confrontations.

Today, the two-leggeds were moving around more than usual. The tall one was picking up everything, folding blankets away, stuffing pots and pans into a bag, and tying them all up in neat packages. Soon, he began strapping the bags to the backs of the mules and even to the backs of Red and Swish's saddles. It was clear to Breeze they were moving on now, and she was honestly happy to know she was going with them. The canyon had become eerie these last few days with the winter winds howling through the rock walls, the cold biting and tearing at her fur with it. She would be most glad to leave the canyon for a wide open field somewhere. Soon, the tall two-legged was helping Jim up onto Swish's back, and with some difficulty, the peg leg man finally got his balance and sat up strait with a loud grunt of satisfaction. I snorted softly through my nose in amusement.

"Onwards!" Jim declared, pointing ahead with his good arm, and kicking Swish into a purposeful walk. The tall human climbed aboard Red next, and securing the long lead line of rope that linked to all the pack mules, Jack in the very back, he followed after his friend and thus the herd was moving. As Jack walked by lastly Breeze tossed her head, shaking her mane playfully and trotted after him with plenty of energy. She was definitely excited to be moving on. The next couple hours that followed were spent walking through the seemingly endless trail of canyon. It was long and boring, but finally, the wind started becoming sweeter, and more powerful, a sure sign that the canyon mouth was coming. It wasn't long after that when the herd worked its way around one last turn to suddenly come face to face with a wide open prairie stretching out before them...

...

Yay! Finally another chapter out! Okay well hope you enjoyed it! Next one will be up very soon! Tomorrow I believe. Anyway, thanks again for reading and for your patience! Reviews are very welcome so I hope to hear from you!

-StokinDembers