one of them. They were all glaring at him. He hung his head low and edged over to where Nickle was standing. "I can't choose any of them," he whispered.

"I know, they're all beauties!" he chuckled.

"No, I mean, it isn't right. Sure, you pick out your mares, but I just couldn't - it would be taking away their freedom. If anything, they should be choosing us."

Nickle sighed and smiled. "Look, Spur," he said gently, "when a new stallion takes over a herd, they don't get a choice then, either. It's perfetly natural."

"It feels like we're men choosing cattle," Spuro replied a little too loudly, earning a disgusted frown from a mare that Nickle had been talking to and she started walking away.

"No, he didn't mean that you were - see what you did? We were getting along fine!"

"Sorry," he said, smiling awkwardly.

"Look, just pick two mares, Spuro. You don't have to start a family with them, you can just let them relax in your quarters all day long at the territory while you're training your class. Besides, wouldn't they want to join you?" he reasoned.

By 'join' Spuro assumed he meant join the Resistance, since none of the mares had taken an interest in him. He wandered over to a grey mare and her black filly to talk with them. The mare put herself between her and the strange stallion. She had seen him tear one of her herd members apart, and she wouldn't allow him to do the same to her daughter.

"Have you two been chosen by anyone?" he asked.

She turned her nose up at him. "You mean you want me and my own daughter for yourself? I know that you stallions are planning to start your own herds with us, and picking us two is just sick!"

Spuro shook his head quickly. "No, no, no! I don't mean it like that! I just thought that since I've got the choice of two mares that I'd pick both of you, to keep you together. And I'm not planning on starting a herd yet - I'm too young and inexperienced. I'm a captain - that's a high rank - and I can let you two live your lives happily in my own field without being disturbed by anyone else. What do you say?"

The filly looked up at her mother. "Please mum! I don't want to be taken away from you! If we can stay together, say yes! Please, please!"

The mare looked Spuro dead in the eye, pleading, and said quietly, "Do you promise?"

"I promise."

It took two weeks to herd the mares back to the Band's territory. On the way, several of them attempted to escape, but they were rounded up and placed back in the group. Spuro asked Pirate if an exception could be made for his two horses and have them stay in his quarters. The leader was reluctant at first, unsure if the captain meant to start his own herd so early on, but he assured him it was just for their luxury, and he was too busy with meetings and training to take care of his own herd at the moment.

Spuro learned that the grey mare was called Celestia and her daughter was Cygnus. Celestia was the daughter of the leadstallion, and her mate had been a rogue stallion that her father had allowed to join them. She was getting on in her life - sixteen years old - but she was dedicated to raising her foal. Cygnus had many questions about the Band and how it worked, which she asked him almost constantly about. The two grew very fond of each other on the trip.

"So why are you a captain?" she asked, prancing around the chestnut.

"I won my trials when I was young, then I was nominated by James for the position when our last Attack Captain died of old age. I won the fights for the position and ever since then I've controlled the fighters," he explained.

"So you decided to kill the stallions?" she asked sadly.

He stopped and lowered his head so he was level with her, and gently said, "I didn't decide what the Band does, Cygnus, I only follow orders because I have to. I hate killing, I always feel guilty, but if it will keep me in my current rank then I will do it. Being a captain isn't easy - you have to make tough decisions about who to send to war and who should fight each other in the trials. But there are upsides. Herdies like me, I have my own class of wonderful young stallions and I don't have to fight as much as I used to."

Celestia joined his side as they walked across the grass. In the distance there were faint shapes of horses, sentries that were guarding the territory. The group broke into a canter, eager to finally rest after the rough three weeks. Cygnus stayed close to her mother as they entered the Centre. Everything seemed to stop as the stallions turned to stare at the mares. They knew that it had been planned all along but now it was a reality.

Pirate took his place at the front of the group. "Our first battle was a success!" he announced, earning an applause of neighs from his followers. "Most of the mares have been selected already, but the rest cannot be given away until there are enough for every officer and captain. James and Nickle will take them to the meadows near Shortie's clearing where they can live a happy life under the protection of our guards until the time has come for you all to make your own herds!"

The two captains ordered the defenders to herd the mares up the slope and towards the woodland, leaving Spuro and his two friends to wander back to his quarters once he had dismissed the rest of the army. As they walked by the entrace to his training grounds, there came a greeting chorus of neighs from his pupils. Copper, Tay, Zac and Dillon galloped over to greet them, leaving Muskrat to lazily amble after them. Pride was being watched by an officer as he spent his leave training after losing many, many stakes.

"Good to see you Sir!" Tay said, "We were terrified that something had happened to you when we woke up to find Quince in your place!"

Spuro laughed. "Nice to know that you guys care about me. Celstia, Cygnus, these are my students. I'm training them up for the trials at the end of the circuit."

"Say hello, dear," Celestia whispered to the filly, who had suddenly become very shy and hidden behind her mother. "Don't mind her, she's jsut met a lot of strange stallions recently."

"So," Dillion said, looking the mare up and down, "she's gonna be your lead mare?"

Tay knocked him across the back of the head. "We're not starting a herd," Spuro corrected him, "I chose these two as my prizes so that they could stay together. I'll be back in a few minutes, I've jsut got to get these two settled in my quarters, come on."

They arrived in the small field and the two mares went straight to the stream to drink after the long journey. Spuro explained that they would be safe there, since no other horse was allowed to enter the area without his permission. His rules were that they should not go to the Centre without him and that they should not follow another stallion out of the meadow, even if they claimed that he or Pirate sent them. "If I need you, or if Pirate needs you, I'll fetch you. And if anyone tries to get funny with you, you have my permission to hurt them as much as you like, then report them to me. I'll make sure Van deals with them."

"Van?" Celestia asked, wading deeper into the water to cool down.

Spuro shifted uncomfortably. "We have a cougar here who ...takes care of traitors, failures and criminals. If they survive a fight with him, they are added to the workforce. But even then they have little chance of living past a month. The deal is that he can eat all the traitors he can take down."

"That's unbelievable," she snorted, glaring at him.

"I know, I was disgusted at first too. But so long as you follow the rules, it isn't your problem."

A few weeks passed befor ethe mares finally accepted their future and all struggles to escape ended. But they were still fighting for their freedom. James and Nickle were often on duty, keeping an eye on any sentries that were trying to steal a mare for themselves. They often grazed and spoke with the mares, getting to know them so that they felt at home. But their main goal was to provide members of the Resistance. They knew a tough mare when they saw one, who was surely plotting to leave once the guards were lulled into a false sense of security. Instead of losing further females - Nickle had received a thorough lecture after the silver grullo had given them the slip - they persuaded the smart ones to stay and grow their numbers.

Spuro had also spoken with Celstia about the secret group, and she agreed to join them - for her daughter's safety more than anything. They both trusted the stallion now, despite the fact that he was a killer. He was the closest thing to a friend they would have. Cynus and Spuro usually spent their breaks together, playing and romping in the long grass. She was the closest thing to a daughter that he had, and he was beginning to see why the idea of your own herd was so appetising to the rest of the herdies. He wanted a family.

The black filly grew quickly once she was settled in the Band, and even raced with the youngsters in Spuro's class. Copper, Tay and Zac became known as 'Uncle' Copper, Tay and Zac, and the same applied with James and Nickle. Although the giant captain didn't admit it, on the account of looking weak infront of the other horses, he had a soft spot for the filly. Nickle told her stories that he had learned as a colt, which she absorbed with great interest and repeated