labored breath. "What happened to him Marr?!" Exclaimed the stallion. "His name is Wolf. He's a yearling and I found him lost, and his sire was dead. He had the scars so i let him rest for the night on my territory. He smells of infection and has a fever. Can your humans help him?" Explained Marrone in a rush. The silver stallion looked at Wolf. "Yes. Wake him up and I'll take him." Marrone looked sadly at Wolf and nudged him awake. "These people will help you... Be good." He said as Wolf awakened. The silver stallion took over supporting Wolf and began leading him to a teepee. When he whinnied, an old woman, the tribe shaman, came out and rushed to Wolf. She brought out a buffalo hide and made him lie on it. He soon blacked out and three men helped drag him into the healers tent.

Wolf woke two days later in the dim tent. He blinked his eyes, confused. Wolf scented the air and snorted, his nostrils overcome by the strong scent of many herbs. All he could remember of yesterday was Marrone standing over him, looking concerned and scared. He looked at his back, realizing that it felt much better than when he first met Marrone. In the dim tent, the white gauze stood out from his gray fur. He stood up and shook himself. The tent was huge. Wolf nosed around and found a flap. He pushed his head out and squinted as the bright light of day hit his eyes. He pulled his head back in. A low and quiet moan sounded from his right. He squinted his green eyes and found another small flap of hide. This was not an exit, but another dark room. He heard the moan again. It sounded like a young female, in pain too. He whinnied gently, and as his eyes adjusted to the candles in the room, he made out a young Indian girl. Her face was pale, and her hair was limp and dirty. He nickered and sniffed her face, which was elevated by a pile of pillows. Her eyes slowly opened. "What the.....?!" She pushed Wolf's muzzle away and pulled up her blanket to cover her nose. Wolf nickered again and the girl looked amused. He liked how she was smiling, so he whinnied loudly and nodded his head. She giggled and reached out to pet him. A small, hobbled old woman pushed through the flap and looked happily at Wolf and the girl. "I take it that you feel better, Devvyn?" She said, grabbing a poultice and cloth from the sloping tent wall. "Yes, Healing Sparrow. Who is this colt? He is too old to be one of ours." Devvyn replied softly. "We do not know. Burro, my stallion, brought him to me yesterday. He has eagle talon scars. They were infected." The medicine woman came over and began to shoo Wolf away. "No, Healing Sparrow! Please, may he stay?" The girl pleaded. The medicine woman looked from Devvyn to Wolf, but reluctantly nodded. Devvyn smiled and the old woman hobbled over to her. She pulled the blanket back and revealed that Devvyn's stomach was wrapped in cloth and smelled of blood. Wolf wrinkled his nose and stared in facination as Healing Sparrow revealed a nearly healed would. Wolf whinnied in surprise and stepped forward to stand closer to Devvyn. Devvyn reached up and petted his muzzle. Wolf lowered his head and nuzzled her neck. Healing Sparrow applied the poultice and put new bandages on her. "You must rest. This colt should go out to graze, too." Said Healing Sparrow as she led Wolf through the flap. In the main part of the tent, she cupped Wolf's head in her hands. "I hope you stay, colt. You just may be the horse to pull her from the brink of death." She said gently. Wolf looked sadly into her eyes.

They emerged into the light of day and Wolf saw that the village was full of life. Children and puppies raced among the teepees and old men told stories and played games while the women cooked food and talked. Some young men and girls painted their horses in the sunlight. A few horses whinnied a welcome to Wolf and he walked closer uncertainly. A silver stallion emerged from behind a tent and he trotted to Wolf. Wolf flicked his ears and took a step back. The stallion stopped. "Welcome! I understand where you come from, stallion do not accept loners like yourself very often, but this is a tribe, and everyone is welcome." He said with an smile. Wolf frowned and snorted, stamping his foot. "I am NOT a loner!" He said loudly and defensively. The stallion looked confused. Other horses looked at him curiously. "Who are you then?" He asked. "I am Wolf, the eldest son of Strider and Esperanza, of the Cimmaron herd." He stated proudly, swelling his chest and pricking his ears. All the horses looked stunned. "Strider's kid?!" A horse shouted from somewhere behind Wolf. Horses surged forward and surrounded him, pelting him with questions, and Wolf pinned his ears and searched for a way out. He struggled past a fat paint mare and dashed into the woods. He heard Burro snort angrily and disappointed murmurs. He stood panting in the forest shadows. He was surprised of how interested those horses were. Why did they like his father so much?!

Wolf stayed in the woods all day. He looked up at a bright star and remembered. When he was very young, half a year or so, Strider had talked to him on their favorite hill. He had nearly forgotten. "My dear Wolf, when you are three years, I will teach you all I know. You shall learn to jump and race, and how to protect our herd. I know you will protect this herd as well as, no, better than I do. I know you will make me proud, son." He had said. A tear ran down his face, he knew that now no one would teach him anything. Wolf realized that now there was no stallion protecting the herd either. He hoped that Esperanza and the eagle would be enough to keep his home safe. 

Back in the Cimmaron, Esperanza was hysterical. The past three days she had been wandering the territory, searching for Wolf. She was weeping by the river. She was inconsolable, she scented a strange stallion, much blood, and her dear foal, Wolf. The mares that had come with her were nuzzling her and weeping, for even though they had not shown it, they had seen the promise in young Wolf. She sniffed and turned back to the herd. She was now the only leader, and she had a duty to her family.

The next day, Wolf woke at dawn. He silently crept past sleeping horses and into the healers tent. He went straight to Devvyn and nickered softly. She blinked groggily and sat up. She smiled brightly when she saw Wolf. "Hello little colt," she said, holding up her hand. "I stole this from the stew last night, just for you." She said. She held out a bright orange chunk to Wolf. He stretched out his neck and sniffed it. Wolf bit into it and whinnied in surprise. It tasted sweet and crunchy. He eagerly stepped forward and snuffled her hair and arms, looking for more. "That's all for today. You should have a name..." She whispered thoughtfully. Wolf carefully layed down next to her and put his head on her lap. "Loyal... LoyalHeart!" She said happily, stroking Wolf's head and leaning back.

"Congratulations, Devvyn. I think you are well enough now to go about life normally." Said Healing Sparrow a few hours later. Wolf blinked, and got up as Devvyn leapt up and tugged on some shoes before racing outside. Wolf trotted cautiously behind her, horses watching curiously on all sides. Another young female emerged from a teepee, yawning. "Brook!" Devvyn called, running over to her. "Devvyn!" Little Brook shouted, embracing Devvyn. Wolf looked curiously at the pair. An old man emerged from the most decorative and large teepee, wearing a large headdress of feathers. Devvyn let go of Little Brook and sprinted to him. By the way he scooped her up and held her, Wolf knew that the feather- man must be her father. He trotted over with a friendly whinny. "Father," Devvyn began, "Healing Sparrow said this colt was wild. May I tame him? Please Father?" She said. Wolf nickered quietly at the man, hoping he would say yes. "He seems like a fine colt. He is still young, as are you. Yes, you can train him. But only when he is healed, may you try to ride. For now, perhaps put the rug on him, and a bit an reins, later on. Remember, Little Creek can help. But first he needs a name! Do you have an idea, darling?" Feather- man said. Wolf reared and shook his head happily. Devvyn was his human now! "LoyalHeart! His name is LoyalHeart!" exclaimed Devvyn proudly, releasing her sire and embracing Wolf around the neck.

"What should we do first? The rug or a halter?" Devvyn asked Brook the next day. "Actually, why don't we paint him? My Father says that it will bond you." replied Little Brook. Devvyn beamed and nodded enthusiastically before dashing off. Wolf started to follow, but Brook put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, cocking her head. "Now I understand your name! You love her don't you?" said Brook, fiddling with his wavy black mane. Devvyn was back soon, balancing three bowls of paint. Blue, green, and white. Brook took the blue and called over a white filly. She eyed Wolf a bit, but flipped her head the other way sassily with a "hmph". Devvyn and Brook led Wolf and the filly to a corral. They set the bowls of paint in a row in the  ground and called the horses over. Wolf sniffed at the dark green paint as Devvyn put the palm of her hand in it. She brushed some dust from his flank before drawing 2 circles, linked. "Linked circles for loyalty" She said fondly. She got a bowl of water and washed her hand. She put her index finger in the white and brushed away his forelock before making a white heart around his eyes. "A heart for love." She said, looking at him lovingly. Finally, she put her palm in the blue