"No. I'm you're mother, Wolf. You are very modest. Rain told me all the tribe gossip. I may be old, but I'm still interested in all the mare gossip. She said that Darla told Rhonda that when Revvy saw you say who you were, you got so flustered by the attention that you ran away!" She said with a giggle. Wolf rolled his eyes and looked away. "Wolf, you don't know it, but Strider did train you more than you think." She said quietly. "Like when? I was going to be trained at three!" Wolf replied. "How did you know how to fight off cougars then? Yes, she told me of 'the handsome dark stallion' that saved Kendal, and swam against the strongest river we know of. He showed you, you saw him, and that is the best kind of training." She said to him. Wolf nodded. "Most of the tribe gossip she told me included you in some way; as the victim, the pranker, or the hero. It would take an idiotic, or modest, horse to NOT know you were extremely popular." She said, looking at him proudly. "Okay, okay, I was popular. So what? Did you put you life at risk just to gossip with me?" Esperanza snorted at his reply. "I told Rain to tell Spirit what she told me. I know that Spirit will feel bad about sassing and chasing you away after he knows what you're like. It's a hard time in the Cimarron, Wolf. Predators are more common, yet the mares are having less foals, and rival stallions are challenging Spirit, so he's a bit on edge... Especially if he sees an older and stronger stallion like yourself come out of nowhere." Said Esperanza seriously. "You're my son, Wolf. I want you to be in the Cimarron with me! I lost you in that stampede, and I don't want to lose you again!" She buried her face in his mane and Wolf laid his muzzle on her neck. "Alright, mother. But we must spend the night here, cougars will be out by now." Wolf led Esperanza to the top of the hill where the others were soundly sleeping. "We'll go back in the morning." Esperanza dozed off quickly, but Wolf fell asleep long after.

Wolf awakened with Sugars butting into his side and Kendal and Esperanza laughing at them. Wolf raised his head groggily and shook himself. Sugars leapt backwards and ran strait into him, knocking Wolf over into the tall grass. "Oof!" Wolf exclaimed as he fell. Esperanza and Kendal exploded in laughter and Alamo ran in a circle around everyone, making ripples in the waving grass. "Where was all this energy when I told you to fetch moss last winter?" Said Wolf happily, pulling Sugars onto the ground. Sugars laughed and leapt up, racing around restlessly. Wolf rolled his eyes and stood. "We'd better get going before someone breaks their legs, racing around." Kendal nodded, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Come on!" Said Wolf, calling the foals. The foals reared playfully and galloped off, with the others right behind. 

As Wolf looked nervously at the Cimarron from a distant hill, Kendal nudged him softly. He looked into her blue eyes and saw a glimmer of excitement so strong that it made him smile, too. "What?" He said to her. She smiled softly at him and put her muzzle to his ear and whispered, "I'm pregnant."