you'd help him catch up a bit in your free time."

The roan snorted at them. "Why would I do that? I'd get nothing out of it but more competition, and I'd lose my own breaks because of him?"

"But you could train with him," Harris suggested.

But Jupiter wasn't having it. "I need serious competition, not a squirming yearling. That's why I'm spending my breaks here at the Centre, and challenging other stallions for the grand prize. I'll train and advance up the ladder at the same time. I'm dedicated to this place, and once I'm at the top I'll make sure everyone is putting as much effort in as me, starting with you two!"

He cantered off, leaving the duo feeling depressed and saddened. It seemed that they had lost an ally. To take their minds off it, they had a race back to the field to talk to the new mustang, mybe he could replace Jupiter, even if he wasn't as bold as him.

To no surprise the first thing they saw was Ghost intimidating the grullo. Spuro told the bully to suck a pine cone, and they walked up to the horse to say hello. Spuro's eyes met with the newcomer. "Bramble?" he whispered.

"Spuro?" he replied. They gawped at each other for a moment then started babbling about what happened all those months ago. Harris introduced himself and they spent the rest of the day grazing together. Spuro was deep in thought - that fact that it was Bramble changed everything. He couldn't let his friend be killed in the trials, it wasn't right. But what choice did he have?

So over the final few weeks Bramble was trained up to fight. James focused on defence mainly, knowing that the poor horse would be likely to face Van more times than a rival. Spuro and Harris continued to train with each other, and Spuro continued to win. It was clear now that Harris was behind, and the spotted stallion slowly ceased up and didn't talk at all, which left Spuro feeling more depressed than ever. Harris was preparing to be sent to Van, and Bramble was practically counting down the days until he would meet his maker. Jupiter and Ghost had the best chances in the class, so where did that leave him? That was the scariest part - uncertainty. Anything could happen between now and then, and it was just down to luck if he was going to make it or not.

Still, he could easily fight off the cougar again if he had to, and another two years of training would just improve him further. But he still sought after freedom, and the only way he could taste it was to work his way up the rankings. If he could become an officer he would be in with a chance to move up to a captain. Yet the problem still remained - Jupiter and Ghost were sure to win the trails for their class.

But luck showed up, in a way Spuro would never have suspected.

He was at the arenas, alone, when Jupiter appeared once more in the ring. The stallion looked throught he crowd, searching for a worthy opponent. "Captain James, I challenge you!" the roan shouted. James looked up suddenly. Had he heard it right? Was the pupil trying to become the master? It was madness. Still, he obeyed their laws and joined his student in the ring.

"You're insane, Jupiter," he told him squarely, "You're a brilliant fighter but a stubborn one. I can't help but warn you that you've bitten off more than you can chew."

"The stakes?," Juptier asked.

"If I win, I'll be sad to see such a talented horse beaten into the dust."

"And if I win," the red giant announced, "I take your place as Captain of Defence and Offence!"

Spuro pushed his way to the front. This couldn't be happening, Jupiter had lost his mind. He could see on James' face how much it would hurt him if he had to kill one of his best pupils, but the rules were set, and teh fight began.

James took up a strong defence and Jupiter charged at him. They clashed and started kicking and biting each other. James shoved the young mustang off him and jumped on top of him, but Jupiter struck him with his powerful legs and sent him back while he rolled over to stand up. James stayed where he was, anticipating the next move. The roan charged at him again, but James changed his style and dodged his attacks reppeatedly, tiring the eager enemy.

Jupiter held his position, rearing, displaying his strength. James' experience saw the oppotunity though, and he rushed forward to attck his chest. Jupiter fell back to the ground and lay there, winded, as his tutor pinned him. James kept pressing onto his chest, and shouted, "Surrender already! I don't want to kill you, but I have to if you don't!"

The roan laughed hoarsely, "I'd rather die with honour, and that's what you told me. If you can't kill me you're weak!"

Spuro left before he saw too much. He ran straight back to the field to see which one would return. He knew Jupiter's attitude, and that meant that the brute wouldn't surrender. His fights were to the death if he was losing. He would rather be remembered as a strong, powerful animal, than one that gave in because they made a mistake when choosing who to fight. As dusk fell, James appeared through the trees - alone. Harris and Bramble were now waiting with their friend, too, and they all knew what it meant.

When the others were asleep, Spuro went to talk with James. He felt for the stallion, he really did. He admired Jupiter and yet he was the one to end his life. It must have been horrible, but Spuro knew that one day he would experience the same sensation of being a monster.

"Why do you think he wanted to die, instead of surrendering?" he asked quietly, standing alongside the mighty horse.

"If you live because you gave in, only you remember yourself because you were weak. If you die because you would never back down, hundreds remember you as the one who never gave up. A lot of horses here follow that legacy, but if you want to survive you have to train harder than them. That way, everybody wins." The flaxen giant looked at the stars, thinking of his first year.

"My parents had been set free from a human base by a stallion. My father was a quarter horse, used for fighting, my mother was a cart horse, used for delivering supplies. I was born in the wild and my mother died when I was only a few months old. My father trained me for two years before he, too, died. They were captive animals you see, they didn't know how to survive without the help of man. So, at just three years of age I wandered, until I was taken in by our leader. I excelled at fighting because of my father's training and so I over took the horses who were here at the time. By the time I was four I was already a captain."

"Why are you telling me this?" Spuro asked.

"Because I believe that you'll go far, Spuro," the stallion replied, looking at him gently, "and you're the one I'll be rooting for at the trials."

At last the day arrived when the four youngsters would face each other in the trials. All of them were nervous, although Ghost was doing a great cool-headed impression. James woke them up early and explained the trials to them on the way to the Centre.

"Unlike other fights, there is an officer or captain watching to keep an eye out for mercy, cheating and dirty fighting. You have only one available surrender, any moe than that will result in disqualification. You will only fight two of the horses in your class. The two with the most wins will be sent to battle each other in the final, and the losers will be disqaulified and tested again by Van. If you pass you join the workers. In the final the winner will be promoted to an officer, and the loser - assuming he has saved his surrender for the final fight - will be allowed to take another year of training and try again next time. Got all that?"

The horses looked between each other. It was an impossible thing to so - they had to fight their friend and win, or face the consequences themselves. Spuro remembered one of the earliest things he had been told; "The will to survive is strong." He wasn't going to give in so easily. And as for Ghost, well, he had to sort him out once and for all.

As they entered the Centre Spuro stared at the vast number of stallions gathered there. It looked like the whole Band was there. Already rings had been formed all over the grass, and losers were being escorted away to the gully to be tested by the every hungry cougar.

"Alright, boys," James sighed, joining the crowd of a circle, "we'll have Harris and Ghost up first."

Ghost pushed his way to the front and Harris trailed behind, ears flat, head low, looking back at Bramble and Spuro, mouthing 'Goodbye'. James moved to the front too to referee the battle, and the two horses followed to watch, full of curiosity and also dread. The fight was over quickly, and Harris used up his surrender.

"What did you do that for? You still had a chance!" Spuro said.

Harris shook his head. "I had no chance against him, he's too strong. Mind youselves with him."

"Bramble, you're up with Spuro!" James shouted.

They looked at each other, and stepped into the ring. They never broke eye contact, and just stood there for a minute, until James told them to fight or be disqualified. Spuro edged towards his friend, who got low on the ground. Spuro jumped him and started pawing heavily at his hind quarters, getting slowly harder. He had to think of something, and quick. Bramble tried to snap at him, but the attack was feeble and he missed by a long shot. Spuro was on the verge of having to beat him,