say this wasn't it. But Kani looked like she was about to exsplode from excitment.

"Where is everyone?" Mrs. Loni asked.

"They should be along soon, just bringing up the saddle herd." Kahu said, then strode toward the barn.

Nalani's ears perked. Herd? Groups of cattle where called herds, but cattle didn't need saddles. There was only one kind of animal that wore saddles...

"There they are!" Kani cried out.

Nalani turned and gasped. Horses! Heads held high, tails swishing, sevral horses came up a canopede path. A few horses had riders, who guieded the others toward the ranch. Nalani watched, breathless. She didn't notice the pack of dogs coming up the path at first.

When she did see them, she was suprised at how calm the horses were around them. And the dogs were equaly calm. Or tired.

The dogs heads hung slightly, their ears drooped, and they seemed to be dragging their paws. One dog led the others. The dog walked in long, confident strides. Head held slightly higher, Nalani guessed that dog was in charge.

One dog lagged behind. The dogs white coat made it easy to pick out, and it seemed to be Nalani's age. As the dogs walked past, they barley glanced at her. When the white one walked by, she saw it look at her out of the corner of it's eye. The dog imeditally lifted it's head and walked faster, catching up with the others.

Well that was a warm welcome, Nalani thought.

                                                            ~^~^~^~^~

At dinner, Nalani was suprised at how many people where there. Kani, her parents, Kahu, a cowgirl and  two cowboys, Karen, Will, and Cody, volenteers who worked at the ranch, and some people called the Latoeas. They had a daughter Kani's age, Mekeena, who was aprently Kani's friend.

Nalani was exspecting to eat in the kitchen, but Mrs. Loni put her out on a porch with a view. And what a view! It pratically took her breathe away. Overlooking fields of horses and a few cattle, Nalani at first didn't notice the other dogs where there and staring at, her? Nalani looked over her shoulder, but there was no one behind her.

She cleared her throat. "Uhm, hi."

One dog, aprently female, smiled brightly. "You must be the new dog."

She didn't say it like Nalani wouldn't know anything, she simply said it friendly. Nalani smiled a little and nodded.

"From Alaska right? Land of frozen tundra?" a brown dog from the corner spoke up.

Nalani recinaized him as the lead dog from ealier. She swalloed, then nodded. "Now Dallas." The female's voice had a warning tone.

Turning to Nalani, she smiled. "I'm Maxine Micci Palo."
  She nodded toward a grey dog sitting next to Dallas. "Thats Ely Janie Fedro and Dallas."
Ely gave a nod of greeting. Dalla's gaze seemed to be judging her.
  "Boys, introuduce yourselfs." Maxine told the other dogs.

Nalani quickly counted. Seven of them. Six looked older then one, the white one from before, Nalani noticed.
 One of them smiled. "Kit Maxine Ely."
Was saying your parents name something they did around here? Nalani didn't know for sure, but it seemed like it.
  Kit nodded to the one next to him. The dog grinned. "Quinn Maxine Ely." he said.
 

The three next to him introuduced themselves as Luke, Adam, and Bryan.
  "Nate Maxine Ely, at your service ma'am." the sandy one bowed enough for the hat he was wearing to slip over his eyes.
Kit rolled his eyes. "How many times have we told ya Nate, that thing won't stay when you do that!"

Nate just grinned. "Hey, it didn't fall this time. The straps working."
Quinn nudged the white dog. The dog cleared it's throat. "Cade Maxine Ely."
He said it so quietly, Nalani almost didn't hear him. Maxine gave a satisfied nod, then turned to her. "And whats your name?" she asked.
  "Nalani Sonya Talto." she anserwd.

Dallas rose and came over. "Well, Nalani, you know anything about horses?"
The way he said it made Nalani nervous. She swalloed. "I know groups of them are called herds."
Well, that was true. She knew that much. She thought she saw a faint smile flicker across Dallas's face, but then he turned to Kit.
 

"Kit, tomorow, you'll give her the course."
Kit looked abit suprised, but he nodded.
Course? What course?
She must have looked confused, because Maxine leaned closer and whisperd. 'You'll find out tomorow."

                                                           ~^~^~^~^~

" Colors: Gray, bay, chesnut, black, brown, fle-bitten, palomino, red chesnut, dark chesnut, dun, buckskin, blue roan, red roan, dapple gray, and skewbald. Facial markings:  Star, stripe, snip, white face, and blaze. Leg markings: Ermine, sock, stocking, and zebra striped. "Paces: Walk, trot, canter, and lope. Mares are females who are matured, stallions are matured males, geldings are fixed males, fillys are young females, and colts are young males"

Nalani recited most of what she had learned. She'd woken up at dawn, followed Kit to the barn, where he taught her every possible thing about horses.

Kit nodded, the opened his mouth to speak, but Nalani cut him off.
"Please don't make me recite all the breeds!" she begged. Her brain was working overtime to record everything, and there seemed to be no end to the list of horse breeds.

Kit gave a sympathetic smile. "Name the breeds we have here, then we'll go look at the pastures and see if you can identify colors and markings. Kay?"
Excitment surged through Nalani. Finnaly! She'd been waiting all morning to see the horses.
 

"Arabians, akhal-tekes, appaloosas, pintos, quarter horses, a clydesdale, and a mustang. Right?"
  Kit smiled. "Yup. Alright, lets go."
Nalani jumped up and followed him. At last!
 

"Alright, now we have sevral pastures here. Sunshine Pasture, thats where the mares and foals are, along with a few calves just old enough to be weaned. Sky Pasture has the saddle herd and Kiallo, our stallion."
"Why is he called Kiallo? Is he dangerous?" Nalani asked. To her, the name sounded like something you'd call a crimanal.
Kit shook his head. "His name means boss."
 

"Lehua Pasture holds the yearlings, and Pueo Pasture holds the two    and three year olds in training." he told her.
   Nalani nodded, then a though struck her. "If weaning calves are in Sunshine Pasture, then where are the other cattle?"
   Kit seemed satisfied she noticed. "Lehua Pasutre is cut in half, yearlings stay in one side, fully grown cattle stay in the other. Same with Sunshine Pasture. The mares, foals and weaning calves are kept in the lower part, while the cows and newborn calves are kept in the upper part."
 

Nalani nodded, when she caught sight of the horses. A gasp escaped her. She'd never seen anything like it! Horses dotted the green sceanery, foals froliced with calves, giving little kicks and bucks of enjoyment.
Kit noticed her look of awe. "It never gets old." he said softly.

Nalani nodded in agreement. Kit then cleared his throat. "All right, Biscut there, what color and markings does she have."

Nalani looked closey at the tan mare. "Buckskin with black stockings?" she guessed.

Kit nodded, then gestured toward the foal frolicking around Biscut. "And Ginger there?"

"Palomino with white star." she said. Kit gave a satisfied smile.

Soon Nalani knew all the mares and foals. Chipia was brown with a silver mane and tail, and her colt, Moon, was black with a white patch over one eye. There was Half Moon and Dancer, a black pinto mare with a light bay filly. Crimson and Valley, a red chesnut mare with a pink roan filly.  Kona and Joker, a blue roan mare with a black pinto colt.  And Willow.

Willows size took Nalani by suprise. The mare was huge! A  blue roan clysdale no doubt. Kit said she was in-foal, which was why she was in Sunshine Pasture.

Nalani could have watched the foals frolic all day, but Kit said it was time to move onto Lehua Pasture to see the yearlings. Nalani pulled her gaze away from the scene.

Kit told her the names of the yearlings in advance this time. Flight, Compass, Honu, and Pani where the yearling colts. Luahala, Navy, Appi, Lunar, and Moonrise where the yearling fillys. Honu, Navy, and Appi were easy to pick out. Honu ment turtle in hawaiian, so that made Honu the brown pinto with a turtle shaped blotch on it's shoulder.                                                                 

Navy was a blue roan and Appi was a appaloosa. Flight was pitch black with a single white star. Compass was black with three white socks. Pani was a black pinto with a distinct patch around his eye. Luahala was a light bay with black stockings and a white stripe. Lunar and Moonrise were almost identical, except Lunar had four white socks while Moonrise had two. Kit said they were twins.

Nalani's feet were staring to feel sore, but she followed Kit to Pueo Pasture to see the two and three year olds. Dawn was the first one Nalani picked out. The mares coat looked like someone had put gold and silver in a blender then poured it all over her.

"Fle-bitten palomino pinto?" she guessed when Kit asked her if she knew what coloring Dawn