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A myriad of sparkling eyes peered at her, an armada of equine smiles and grins. A few dissenting whispers between a few of them erupt at Ironhoof's less than enthused expression.

Bolt, for his part, stood stolid, expressionless. He realized, at least somewhat, how foolishly he'd behaved ... but he still had to be the herd's stallion, proud and confident and so he stood to the front and center of the others in the herd.

"Hey," Ironhoof finally whickered to them with a forced grin. "'Case ya hadn't heard, m'name's Ironhoof."

A chorus of chuckles erupted, whether from the fact the whole herd had been told their name or from Ironhoof's rugged speech not even those making the chuckles knew.

"Not sure what yall'r expectin' ... well, I'm me an' ... an' ... an' glad what I did helped y'all out some."

Racer broke the herd's not-certain-what-to-say silence, trotted out to meet Ironhoof, pressed her muzzle to the filly and whickered, "Thank you for your bravery."

Ironhoof politely returned the nuzzling, though her thoughts continued wandering to Rosehoof. "Thank ya 'n your herd for lookin' after me an' healin' m'wounds." One young mare in particular ... but Ironhoof carefully kept that thought to herself.

Bolt remained standing where he was as the rest of the herd finally stepped forward to meet Ironhoof.

A young chestnut colt strutted out to face Ironhoof. "You might be stronger than wolves but I'm stronger than you!" he boasted, rearing onto his hind legs in a play-challenge ... even reared as he was, the colt didn't go much above Ironhoof's shoulders.

Smirking, Ironhoof reared onto her own hind hooves in front of the colt, then slammed her hooves down inches in front of him.

At the display, the colt ran and hid behind his mother, to the laughter of most of his peers and even a few of the adults in the herd.

"I'm sorry about that," his mother whickered to Ironhoof. "Scorpion's got a mind to challenge anything that moves..." she shook her head, turning back to scold her son.

"'Tis okay," Ironhoof smiled. "He was juss' playin' ... that's how I learned t'take care o'myself when I was 'is age."

Bolt's gaze wandered at last from Ironhoof and swept back and forth across his herd. Someone was missing ... he clopped around Ironhoof and his herd surrounding her to to Shoshone standing alone, a few paces behind Ironhoof.

"Where's Rosehoof?" the stallion whickered to his lead mare.

Shoshone looked Bolt square in the eye with the look in her own eyes of 'Don't question me!' and whickered simply, "She's busy."

Hearing the exchange, Ironhoof turned her gaze back to Shoshone and Bolt. Shoshone then turned her gaze for a moment back to meet Ironhoof's gaze, her expression not changing, then back to Bolt.

"I guess my daughter was the first one to meet you," an older palomino mustang whickered to Ironhoof, bringing the filly's attention back forward to the voice. "I am Rosehoof's mother, Raindance," she introduced.

"Pleased t'meecha. Rose has ..." Ironhoof paused, trying to think what to say without causing a scene. "... she's been ... nice t'me." Ironhoof flicked her ears as Shoshone stepped forward, past Bolt who stood still, turning his head to follow his lead mare. Shoshone stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ironhoof, gazing at her, her wordless expression to Ironhoof one of 'That's more than enough.'

Raindance noticed Shoshone's look to Ironhoof. "Shoshone? What's going on with my daughter?"

"Rosehoof is fine," Shoshone whickered, finally taking her cold gaze off Ironhoof. "You have my assurance on that, Raindance. She's just ... busy."

"Did she cause Ironhoof problems?" Raindance asked, trying to figure the situation out.

"No ma'am," Ironhoof whickered immediately. "No problems at all. In fact ..." ... another glare from Shoshone ... "... she an' I been friends. Juss' that ... I ain't gonna be stayin', y'see, an' ... well ..." she's tempted to say they're gonna miss one another, but her honor prevents her from such a lie; she holds out belief that Rose will go with her. Now that she's dug herself in, Ironhoof saw too late why Shoshone wanted her to say nothing.

"Oh," Raindance whickered, thankfully breaking off Ironhoof's searching for what to say. "I see," she whickered, though Shoshone and Ironhoof both doubted she did (or rather, hoped she did not). "Well, you could always stay with us, Ironhoof ..." she looked to Bolt, "couldn't she?"

"No," Shoshone broke in emphatically, cutting off Bolt before he had a chance to answer, "she could not."

"Shoshone!" Bolt whickered dominantly as he stepped forward. "It is true Ironhoof has expressed no interest in staying with us," he whickered, "and she is certainly free to go ... but I have final say in whether she has the choice of joining our herd and would she so honor us, I can think of no reason to refuse!"

Shoshone snorted angrily ... Ironhoof was right about him! "You'd have her replace me, wouldn't you! Why don't you think with your head for a change instead of your balls!?"

Bolt stomped a forehoof, frustrated by his own words coming back to haunt him. It would not be him to back down from his own words, however ... "Shoshone, you stubborn mare! Your are a strong lead and I respect you, but even you know your days are numbered. You've seen this herd through how many stallions as lead ... Five? Six? I am fresh blood..."

"I may be old," Shoshone whinneyed shrilly at him, "but I still got plenty of fight and kick to me yet! You wanna fight!? I can see the herd through ten more stallions!"

Bolt snorted at her, then looked to Ironhoof. "Is Shoshone the reason you've decided not to stay? Don't let her stop you ... I run this herd, not her, and ..."

Ironhoof's blood boiled, incensed at his demeaning Shoshone. She turned to face him, reared and slammed so hard it echoed throughout the canyon. "Enough!" she thundered with such ferocity the herd backed away from her, save Shoshone. "Ya don't own Shoshone! Ya don't own me, either! I am Ironhoof an' I am m'own horse! You thinkin' is gettin' dragged down by what's between yer hind legs! I ain't t'be owned by you or by any stallion! You don't even respect Shoshone!" the filly rumbled and ranted. "Ya wanna know why I can't stay? Y'wanna know why Rosehoof isn't here? 'Cuz she an I are in love wichother!"

"Ironhoof..." Shoshone interrupted, trying to stop the filly, but in a tone much quieter than Ironhoof's angered rumbling - and too late.

"Y'ain't in m'nterests!" Ironhoof finished her rant to Bolt, her snorting the only sound for several otherwise quiet minutes.

Raindance, now behind Ironhoof since Ironhoof had turned around to rant at Bolt, finally broke the silence. "That ... can't be true. My daughter ... isn't like that ..."

The one horse Ironhoof felt no grounds to stand up to ... the filly turned to her. "I'm ... sorry ..." she whickered sorrowfully. "It just kinda happened ..."

"Stop it!" Raindance whickered. "Rosehoof isn't like that! I know my own daughter!"

"Hey!" whinneyed a voice from up the canyon trail. Rosehoof stood and looked on at the scene; apparently she had heard it for some time.

"Rosehoof!" chorused Raindance, Ironhoof and Shoshone.

"You are all making so much noise I can't think straight!" the young palomino mare whickered, frustrated, and started her way down to Ironhoof, Bolt, Shoshone and Raindance, the rest of the herd having backed off a bit at the argument. "I guess the truth is out now," she added. "Ironhoof is telling the truth, mother," she looked her mother in the eye. "I ... she ... brought something out in me ... please don't blame her ..."

"Rosehoof..." Raindance cried. "... but Green Canyon ... our herd ... our family ... foals ..."

Rosehoof trotted up beside Ironhoof. "This filly is stronger than any stallion we've had. Her hooves vanquished my father GorgeFlyer, Choquin, Shasta, Klamath ... and all the others we've lost to the wolves of Golden Ridge ... without her, we wouldn't have a future. However different she may be, all of us owe her the utmost respect! She may be just a filly, but she's earned her place to say and think what she wants ... and what she says is the truth. I love Ironhoof deeply ... our spirits melded last night. That is how she healed so quickly ... the Spirits were with us when we were together! The Great Mother and the Great Healer!"

"That's not possible!" Bolt whickered. "I've only heard of that in legend, and only a natural union between stallion and mare..."

"It did happen," Shoshone added in, turning to explain to Raindance and the herd. "When I returned from my herbal quest for Ironhoof this morning, she was already healed. The blood on her wounds is dried scabs ... underneath, she's fully healed into scars. When I questioned whether the Spirits were with them, the spirits gave me a ... definitive answer."

"It just isn't natural!" Bolt stomped. "A mare and a mare ... its against the natural way of the horse!"

"It's nat'ral for meh," Ironhoof returned to Bolt. "That's partly why I can't be with this herd. What's natural for y'all ain't natural for me."

Silence again befell them for several minutes.

A gentle breeze puffed through, rippling through the grass and the lake's surface. The distant yet very shrill scream of an eagle echoed throughout the canyon, followed after a moment by the movement of a hoof, and then another ... Raindance walked over to her daughter.

"Rosehoof, my beloved girl ... what is natural for you?" The mother half-whickered, half-cried in fear. Not a hint of shame, however; this mother loved her daughter regardless.

"I've never felt anything in my life like my love for this filly," the palomino whickered somberly to her mother. "How am I to measure that intensity with my love for Green Canyon? I love you, mother," the young mare stepped forward to plant her muzzle affectionately into her mother's forechest. "I love the herd ... but I also love Ironhoof very intensely, very deeply," she sniffled and sobbed.

Ironhoof looked on at Rosehoof. She simultaneously felt right for her love, and guilty for the strife it brought the herd. "I c'n giv'ya more time, Rose ..." Ironhoof whickered. "I ... wanna make certain ya make ... wha'e'er decision's right for ya. I ... really love ya."

The palomino mare lifted her muzzle from her mother's shoulder, looking tearfully into her mother's eyes, then over to Shoshone and Bolt, then finally brought her gaze to Ironhoof. She walked slowly over to the white filly and arched her neck around Ironhoof's in a hug. Ironhoof reciprocated the gesture, Ironhoof and Rosehoof's heads resting upon the base of each other's manes. Ironhoof knew just from the touch it wasn't a final decision, that Rosehoof just wanted to be held for a moment and feel her love. The palomino mare and white filly held intimate conversation that had no vocalization nor other physical sign any other physical beings could sense, not even Shoshone, Raindance nor Bolt.

"Rosehoof..." Raindance started toward her daughter again, but cut off by Shoshone.

"Shshsh..." the lead mare hushed and stepped between Raindance and her daughter.

"She's my daughter," Raindance protested quietly. "I don't want to lose her..."

"I don't want to lose her any more than you do," Shoshone whispered back, trying to keep her whickering low enough so as not to disturb the communing pair. "But it must be her choice ... not you nor I, nor Bolt ... nor Ironhoof, for that matter, should make that choice for her."

"Shoshone..." Raindance sobbed and pressed her own muzzle into the large black mare. "Why this? ... why my daughter ...?"

The filly and young mare couldn't hear the cries of the mother nor the assertive assurance of Shoshone. Nor could they sense the confusion and frustration from Bolt, who realized the one he'd thought would be the salvation of the herd to be as bad as the wolves now dared to try and take one away from the herd.

"Vulgar filly," Bolt snorted under his breath.

Three pairs of eyes and ears fixed upon the pair as the rest of the herd broke off into small groups in the distance, trying to figure out what was happening amongst themselves.

'I need you in my life,' Ironhoof thought to Rosehoof. Her rough verbal speech was merely a fragmented shell of the depth of her thoughts ... a fragmented shell that was not the truth of her thought, and in this intimate sharing of thoughts, showed no sign. 'Now and until I no longer breathe. I love you, but can never own you ... I am my own horse. I am not owned nor ruled by any other being than myself any my own heart. I am neither ruled or owned nor shall I rule or own another. I am my own horse ... but my heart yearns for your heart. My spirit yearns for your spirit ... but my love for you is not ownership of you, and my love for you can only be served by your choosing what is right for you.'

'I love you, Ironhoof,' thought Rosehoof back to the filly. 'You've touched me in a way I've never been touched before ... and don't think I could ever be touched by another in that way again. I've never felt so close, so right with another ... except with my herd as a whole. I wish my decision were easier ... part of my wishes to ignore all other considerations and run off with you ... but another part of me loves my herd, loves my mother and keeps me here.'

A shadow draped over the canyon from the west, a large cloud having invaded the clear day and behind it a thick, black bank of clouds ... a storm. Distant thunder rumbled.

This, too, went unsensed by the mares, their eyes closed in each other's embrace.

'Rosehoof...' A slurry of intense thoughts and emotions erupted from the filly, not decently untranslatable into words. An vow of eternal spiritual bond, even if the two were to part ways in the physical ... sorrow and guilt at having been the source of strife for her beloved Rosehoof and the herd Rosehoof clearly deeply cared for ... and simultaneously a desire to run free with Rosehoof untethered by her herd obligations. Every last thought, every last feeling Ironhoof thought to Rosehoof in their link.

The leading fringe of the thunderstorm reached the canyon and hail pelted Rosehoof and Ironhoof, Shoshone and Rainstorm, Bolt and the rest of the herd.

The stinging slugs of ice, after a few minutes, finally brought Ironhoof and Rosehoof out of their link and into the physical.

"I'll miss ya more than anythin' ..." Ironhoof cried, the first to verbally speak.

"One more night together..." Rosehoof promised. Looking to her mother still embracing Shoshone amid the stinging hailstorm, she plead, "... alone."

"You ... you've decided to stay?" Shoshone asked.

Rosehoof nodded. "Ironhoof and I will always be together in spirit ... I wish I could be with her and the herd at the same time ... but life isn't fair."

Shoshone turned to face Raindancer and whickered something. Raindancer looked up at Ironhoof for a moment, then her daughter, then nodded to Shoshone.

Shoshone turned back to looks at Ironhoof and Rosehoof. "The healing cave is yours for tonight ... no one shall disturb you," she whickered as the hailstorm lightened up, turning her gaze to Bolt. "... no one."

Bolt snorted. "This herd will not run amok with such deviant behavior! I will be respected, by Thunder!"

"Bolt!" Rosehoof's calm tone erupted into anger as the young palomino mare turned her attention to sending a fiery glare his direction. "Stuff it under your tail!"

Shoshone whickered a chuckle ... the 'anchor-brain' as Ironhoof had referred to him more than deserved that. She turned from Raindance to walk up to the stallion, giving him a cold stare. "Ironhoof has proven more deserving of our respect than you, Bolt. I may not find her or this situation ... tasteful ... but the herd owes its safety from Golden Ridge to her, and that is something you have not been able to provide for us. However ... different ... Ironhoof may be, she has earned my respect and both the Great Mother and the Great Healer, both of whom I owe an eternal allegiance to, blessed their night in the healing cave ... if you dare to challenge the will of those spirits whose guidance we forever rely upon, it is not they who go against the order of the horse but you!"

Bolt stamped a forehoof in frustration ... this was intolerable! 'Mares do not mate with mares! Certainly not in my herd ... and this is my herd! I won the challenge to my predecessor here! How dare they ... How dare they!' "This is my herd!" he finally snorted.

Ironhoof, having remained silent and feeling guilty as the outsider having caused the trouble, finally stuck her muzzle back into the situation. She turned to face Bolt, a challenging look in her eyes, and reared high onto her hind legs and remained standing as one stallion challenging another would, her forehooves pedaling a bit at the air to invite the stallion to return the challenge. "I took down six wolves," she snorted, "One anco'-brain who c'u'n't bring 'em down ain't much t'compare!" A hole opened in the clouds and a ray of sunlight encircled Ironhoof and Bolt.

Bolt whinneyed, his instinct driving him to raise onto his hindhooves to answer the challenge, but before he even got a quarter of the way into the rearing, he aborted and came down. "Mares don't challenge stallions!" he snorted.

"C'mon, ya coward!" Ironhoof irked.

Shoshone and Rosehoof backed off a couple steps to give Ironhoof some room, still reared and looking very ready to fight. "If you don't answer her challenge," Shoshone brayed to Bolt, "then we don't recognize you as your leader!"

"This is madness!" Bolt whinneyed, but with the lead mare putting him in the position, he felt he had little choice. "I don't want to hurt you ..." he shorted as he reared as well.

"If I were you," Rosehoof snorted, "I wouldn't worry about one who took out Golden Ridge being the one who might get hurt from this!"

At seeing their leader rise to meet the challenge of another horse, the herd gathered in to watch ... the fact the other horse was a filly made the confrontation all the more intriguing.

Ironhoof 'walked' forward on her hind hooves until she and Bolt made contact. "First t'fall loses!" she snorted.

'I can put this filly down easily without hurting her ... and the herd won't hate me and I'll keep my honor,' thought Bolt to himself. "Fine!" he grunted and grappled his forehooves around Ironhoof, trying to twist her so she would go down on her side where her hind legs couldn't keep her aloft, especially after already having held her rear for several moments before he met her challenge.

Ironhoof was prepared for the move, however, and with strength that surprised him, plowed her hindhooves forward to get more leverage under Bolt. Her shoulder met the underside of Bolt's chest, her full body working as a spring against him and slipped out from his grapple, leaving him in a precarious position, finding himself the one in danger of falling to the side. He pulled his thighs taut to get back high on his hindhooves to recover.

The filly grunted and used her leverage to push hard back against his chest, adding to Bolt's attempt to right his position to angle him completely vertical. A final thrust up and into his chest from Ironhoof toppled him over and the stallion crashed backward and down hard.

Stunned, he laid there on his back for several moments and Ironhoof slammed down from her rear, her head over his lower underside with forehooves to either side of his tail. She snorted and grunted down at him, "Stupid anchor-brain! Why doncha get lost!"

"I ... lost?" Awareness waned in the vulnerable stallion ... the fall had been hard in more ways than one to him.

"You lost!" Shoshone answered back. "Ironhoof is our leader now ... she replaces you!" the would-be-retired lead mare grunted.

A chorus of laughter erupted from the herd ... they saw the strain on Bolt and knew he wasn't holding back much at all ... the filly had won fair and square!

Memory of the past few minutes finally began to return to the stallion ... where did this filly come to be so strong? It just isn't right or natural for a mare, much less a filly, to seriously challenge a stallion! "You aren't right," he grunts.

The filly kicks a forehoof out, butting hard into the back of one of Bolt's thighs, rather precariously close to his stallionhood. "I earned bein' right!" Ironhoof snorted. "Now git lost b'fore I really hur'cha!"

Bolt's gaze focused on Ironhoof's eyes ... there was no hint she was anything but deadly serious. By Thunder ... a psychotic filly! Bolt summoned whatever sensibility he had within himself to get to his hooves and high-tailed away from the psychotic filly, tripping and stumbling several times as a result of his still somewhat stunned state as he galloped away. The dark clouds finally dissipated overhead.

Shoshone brayed at the victor. "Ironhoof, you lead us now!"

Rosehoof whickered, "You don't have to leave now! Shoshone accepts you, and the rest of the herd follows Shoshone!"

Ironhoof snorted in the direction of Bolt's departure until she was satisfied his pride and ego were sufficiently crippled that he wouldn't return before turning to face Rosehoof, Shoshone, Raindancer and the herd.

"No," she whickered as her blood cooled from the fight. "No ... I ain't lead ya'. I can never rule another, juss' as I can't b'ruled by another." The filly stepped upto Shoshone, looking her in the eye. "Shoshone, ya lead the herd ... 'til ya find a stallion t'yer an the herd's likin'."

Rosehoof stepped over to nudge Ironhoof. "But ... we could be together ..."

Ironhoof drooped her head and rubbed her muzzle along Rosehoof's. "I can't be in your herd, and ya can't leave 'em," Ironhoof half-whickered, half-sobbed. "Like ya said ... one last night t'gether ... then a ... g'bye ..." The filly that had just minutes before seemingly so easily taken down the herd's stallion trembled in sadness.

Shoshone chimed, "I hope to rise to the challenge you put to me, Ironhoof ... leading the herd alone ... with the wolves gone, I can do it ... and hopefully some day find a better stallion than Bolt to lead us. Still, I fear and am uncertain ... this has not been the way of our herd ... but as you rose, so shall I."

Ironhoof looked to Shoshone. "I got fight 'n me," she whickered, "but ya' got 'sperience that'd serve Green Canyon lot more than my hooves. I wish I cudda b'in Rosehoof's fellowship, but just ain't me t'be inna herd ... at least, not inna herd you'd wanna be in ... and ... this is yer herd."

Rosehoof's eyes shed tears in unison with Ironhoof. She pressed her muzzle to Ironhoof's ear and whickered, "I love you."

Ironhoof hoofed the ground in frustration. This wasn't fair at all, but she knew it couldn't be.

Shoshone whickered to Ironhoof, her own eyes getting a bit bleary. "You are a brave filly ... and I don't mean for fighting wolves or challenging a stallion. Whenever I speak to the Great Mother and the Great Healer, I will always include asking for a blessing for you to the end of my days," she somberly vowed.

Ironhoof smiled at that, turned her head to warmly nuzzle Shoshone. "Thank ya' for the honor."

Rosehoof chortles, drawing Ironhoof's gaze back to her. The white filly and palomino mare's eyes communicate the meaning ... its time.

"Pleasant trails, Ironhoof," Shoshone whickered sincerely, knowing this would be the last she would see of the filly.

Raindance, who had remained quiet, not sure what to make of all this, finally spoke again. "Pleasant trails, Ironhoof," she echoed Shoshone's farewell to the filly.

"Pleasant trails, Ironhoof," the herd, still nearby from the challenge, whickered to her.

Ironhoof bowed her head respectfully to the herd, looked again to Rosehoof, and the pair trotted their way back up the trail and off toward the healing cave.

The afternoon sun arched across the sky to set, giving way to dusk, evening and moonlight. The Green Canyon herd gave the filly and mare their peace, not one daring to go near the trail to the healing cave.

For Ironhoof and Rosehoof, time and anything external to themselves, the very ground they stood upon circling and dancing with one another and the air around them heated from their passion did not exist. Day changing to night, the rumble of the waterfall in the distance and the river rapids below the trail leading to their cave ... neither Ironhoof nor Rosehoof had any note or sense of it.

Tender nuzzles and licks, the drawing of each other's scent and the feel and scent of their breaths upon each other, the warmth of each other's spirits and bodies in the presence of one another were all either had awareness of.

Only with the breaking of dawn did their senses wane from each other and regain a presence and perception in the physical ... and their first verbal words to one another since Rosehoof's whisper into Ironhoof's ear the night before.

"Rosehoof," the answer came a night later from the white filly, shakingly, "I love you."

Rosehoof first, and then Ironhoof broke down into tortured sniffles and snorts as they felt their time drawing nigh.

"Our spirits will meet again, someday," Rosehoof whickered, "when neither of us draws breath in this world."

"A day I won't rush," the filly returned, "but will look forwar'ta fer the rest o'my life." The filly arched her neck and clung it tightly around the palomino mare's. "This is the hardest thing I've had t'do." Somehow harder, even, than what she'd done to Flamehoof, Ironhoof realized ... but knew not why.

"Go," Rosehoof pained, trying to break the bridges to each other they couldn't keep.

Ironhoof pulled out of the hug, taking a few steps backward to take one last look at Rosehoof, eye-to-eye. "Ya's bootiful, Rosehoof ... an' I'll love you forever," she sobbed.

Their eyes locked, each badly torn yet each knowing the way this must go. "I love you forever," Rosehoof finally returned.

A turn, a step, and the passing of a couple days out of more than a thousand that neither horse could ever forget came to an end. Rosehoof stayed in the cave, sobbing to herself as her love, her mate galloped away.

In motion but no less in emotion, Ironhoof's thoughts as her hooves churned grass and soil remained attached to the memory of those days ... how her love rose and fell, and how she knew the memory would become her own mental anchor.

Shoshone alone among the herd stirred from her slumber at the sound of Ironhoof's hooves. "Be strong, Ironhoof..." the black mare whispered to the wind. "... be strong."