The river was smooth and gentle, flowing over rounded rocks and settled dirt. Fish swam beneath its gleaming surface, unaware of life above the water. The liquid was clear and sparkling and sang as it ran across the valley. Suddenly its tranquil existance was put to a stop by four hooves diving into the water. The fish shot away and the dirt rose from the bed. Spuro splashed about in the river with the other colts, neighing and shreiking loudly.

Bramble kicked some water at the chestnut and got some thrown at himself in return. Pippin rolled over in the muddy water and shook his sodden fur all over the others. Finally Spuro dived his front legs into the river, sending a wave over his sister on the bank.

Destiny shreiked as she was covered in the silted liquid. "Spuro! Urgh, mum! He's splashing me!" She poused over her ruined cream coat and drenched pearly mane and tail. She couldn't  have a relaxing day along the river bank with her brother around. He was a nuisance. Irritated, she slid off to complain to her mother.

Spuro grinned to his friends then set about rolling in the silt on the bank. He knew he could get away with it for a bit - his coat would hide the dirt. Bramble, on the other hand, would have his mother on his case, demanding why his grullo coat was covered in mud. Pippin would probably be Ok, his parents wouldn't notice the specks of dirt on his blanketed coat. Still, it didn't matter to Spuro what happened to the other colts - it wasn't his problem.

"Hey, Spur?" Bramble asked, attempting to wash the mud off his hide, "aren't you worried about your sister? I mean, won't she tell your parents?"

Spuro snorted. "Of course she will, but my mother will be too busy with the other mares to do anything."

"And your father?" Pippin said.

"Too busy fighting with my grandfather," he replied, standing up and shaking himself. It was true, Spirit and Durango had grown tense with each other over the years. It was only a matter of time before one of them would snap. "Look, even if one of them did bring it up with me all I'd get is a good nagging."

"And what about us?" the grullo asked, coming closer to the chestnut's face.

Spuro shrugged it off. What he was really thinking was, "Why would I bother about what happens to you?" but he decided to go with, "Colts get dirty anyway, so all this fun will be fine with your mothers, and you can simply deny it about Destiny - after all, it's me she's mad at."

"So we have a confession, Spuro?" The three colts jumped and Spuro spun round to see Durango glaring from the river bank, his sister smirking from behind him.

Spuro was taken by his father to have a walk through the valley. They wound their way through a piece of woodland in silence, then climbed to the top of a hill and looked over the land. Durango said nothing and Spuro just waited impatiently. Finally his father broke the silence and said, "You really need to grow up, Spuro. You're nearly four years old and if you don't watch where you step you will put yourself - and others - in danger very quickly."

Spuro sighed and rolled his eyes. "I am grown up, dad. I'm almost fully grown, I can fight, I can scout, you don't need to go on about it."

"You know how to be grown up but you don't actually use anything you've been taught," Durango replied, shoving his face infront of the colt, preventing him from looking away. "One day you are going to be a leader of this herd, all your friends and your family will be in danger unless you work hard-"

"But I don't care about them dad!" he shouted. "I couldn't care less if Bramble or Pippin got in trouble for annoying Destiny, and I don't see why I should have to babysit the other horses. Everyone should take care of themselves!"

"And what about those who can't defend themselves?" Durango asked simply.

Spuro didn't answer straight away, but then he said, "The more food for the healthy."

"Spuro!" his father bellowed.

"What?" he shouted back. "I don't have to care about anyone else, it's hard enough trying to keep myself alive!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Durango snarled, walking away from his son. "If you were on your own you wold suddenly become a star member of this herd. Ever since you were born you've been spoilt with atention and protection, and although you can fight you can't defend yourself if it meant your life. And if you can't do that then there's no way you'd be able to lead a herd."

"Good," he shouted. "Because I don't want to!"

"You have to," Durango replied coldly, "your mother is too weak to have another foal and you can't ditch this responsability onto your sister like you do with all the others."

"I don't want responsability, I want to do as I please. For a mustang I have no idea what it's like to be free!" the colt argued. Durango turned back in a huff.

"You're a disgrace," he muttered, and galloped away to calm down on his own. Spuro waited, alone, on the hill before he was sure he was alone. He reared and bucked and rolled until he was exhuasted. But the anger was still pent up inside of him. Why couldn't they all understand? What right did they have to force him to work? He wanted to run when he chose and concentrate on taking care of himself, he wanted to get dirty and not be thought bad of for it, he wanted to be truely free.

Time passed in the meadowed valley. Destiny was given a post in taking care of the yearlings, a sort of mothering class for young mares. Spuro, meanwhile, was assigned the job of watching over the herd from a sentry post, incase of the approach of man or a predator. He was supposed to be there for three ngihts a week, then have the rest of the time to hisself, but that wasn't enough for him. Instead, Destiny was loaded with playing nanny and signing lullabies before taking up her brother's watch.

During the nights when he skipped duties, Spuro was mucking about with the other fully grown colts, making the most of their time together before being sent out of the herd. Spuro often made it clear that he was to stay under the herd's protection, because he was the destined leader, but the others took no notice of his boasting and jsut laughed along.

"Besides, Spur," one of the boys, a palomino, joked, "I thought you didn't need 'the herd's safety' because you're such a good figher?"

"I don't, it's just easier to have someone fight for me," he grinned. The colts set about laughing, careful not to draw attention to the get together. However, under the cover of darkness a visitor was sneaking through the trees.

He eyes were gold and green, and glowed in the shadow of the forest. He slim body made no sound as it squeezed between fallen branches, rocks and ditches. The teeth shone like mirrors in the moon's faint light, and she was closing in on the sleeping foals.

By the time Destiny saw the cougar it was too late. The female attacker was already darting towards teh group of yearlings that she had promised to protect. She shreiked in fear as the beast approached. But suddenly her grandfather was on the scene. Spirit kicked the cougar full in the chest, followed it as it ran from the stallion and bit it a few times to make sure it never returned.

Once the stallion had walked back to the foals Destiny was there, checking on them. Each and every one of them was sound asleep. Spirit sighed. "Why were'nt you here, Destiny?"

"I tried to be," she replied, crying, "I try so hard to do everything right but thre's so much-" She broke off crying, receiving a hug from the ancient mustang.

Spirit woke the mares so that they could watch their foals while Destiny osrted something out. He took his grandaughter to her parents and explained the situation, before heading off to break up the party of colts and bring back the trouble maker.

"While you were mucking about with your friends, Destiny here was trying to do two jobs at once, and that always leads to disaster!" he explained, although the boy showed every sign of not caring.

"So? Mares multitask all the time, and Destiny's used to doing two jobs at once," he replied.

"That's because you never do anything that's asked of you and I end up doing it!" she shouted. Spirit told her to calm down and get some sleep.

"Tonight the foals were nearly killed by a cougar, thanks to you," he continued.

"Me? She wasn't guarding-"

"And you've always been reckless, immature and unhelpful. I've lost all confidence and trust in you. If it was a colt that I was going to drive out, it wouldn't matter to me, but you are one of my decendants and it's shameful to your whole family!"

"I don't care about my family, or the herd," Spuro said quietly.

Spirit stood tall, still burning his eyes into the colt. "No, I can see that." He turned away and gestured Durango to come with him. Jade said nothing to her son but watched over him until he was asleep.

 An hour or so later Durango returned alone. "Well?" Jade said, knowing her father only too well to know that he was giving him the 'quiet talk' treatment. Durango kept walking towards her, head down and his body tense with fury. It was bad news, she could tell already, and she tried to brace herself for