The young man shivered as the icy wind whistled through the shell of the old building. He looked up through the few splinters of roof, the jagged ends reminding him of the teeth of a carnivore. He blinked his tired eyes. So many clouds�. It seemed to promise a very cold winter this year.

He supposed he�d have to find somewhere else to stay�. This old skeleton of a building wasn�t enough to protect him from the weather any longer.

The fireplace had collapsed what, two years ago? Thankfully last winter hadn�t been that bad.

Closing his eyes, he curled in on himself, trying to conserve what little warmth he could.

�Will he come tonight? He always seems to know when I need him most.�

A soft whuffling sound preceded a light caress of warm air over him. He smiled, keeping his eyes closed, as a large, warm mass settled around him. Sighing again, he snuggled closer to the earthy smelling body and let the sounds of that body lull him to sleep.

�Put another log on the fire, will you, Peter?�

�Okay, Darren. But this is the last time.�

�What do you mean by that?�

�You always invite me over, then treat me like a butler instead of a brother.�

�You always insist on sitting closest to the fireplace, which is closest to the wood box. Besides, I gave Jonas the night off. He�s going to have a long day tomorrow, handling the food wagon.�

�So you are bringing the mares in tomorrow?�

�Yes. And I was hoping you�d help.� Darren smiled at his brother, the smile that had gotten him anything he wanted from the time he was old enough to notice. �Old Duggan says we�re in for a bitter winter this year, so I want to get all the mares down from the hills. I�m expecting a nice batch of foals from Nightstorm��

�Ahh. Good thinking. They should bring a good price at market in the spring, with him for a sire.�

�And the ranch could use the extra money.�

�You aren�t hurting for money, Darren.�

�No, I�m not.� He shook his head slightly and his blue eyes took on a distant glow. �But I want to add that pasturage that Neils offered me last month.�

�I thought it was understood he didn�t own that land.�

�It hasn�t been worked by anyone in about twelve years. He said the registrar has not been able to locate any living member of the previous owners, so he was able to buy it for taxes. He assures me the title is good.�

�It was prime land in its day. Mountains are excellent for hunting, too. A lot of pristine acreage. How big?�

�One thousand acres. Not all of it is good for pasture, but as you say� the mountains there are beautiful. It will almost double the size of the ranch.�

�Going to sell the logging rights?�

�No� I don�t think so.�

�Why on earth not? All that lumber��

Darren shrugged. �The horses provide enough income. I think I�d like to leave that part natural for as long as I can. It�s just� I don�t know� I went up into the mountains with Neils last year. For that hunting trip. There�s a presence� a serenity� I think I�d like it to stay that way.�

Peter shook his head at his brother. �Always the dreamer, little brother.�

�What�s wrong with dreaming? It�s worked for me so far, hasn�t it? This ranch has prospered beyond what Dad ever expected, may he rest in peace.�

�Yes it has. I must admit, you�ve done well with it.�

Peter yawned loudly. �I think I�ll turn in. I imagine you�ll want to get an early start?�

Darren nodded. �I do. Duggan knows to get the men up early. Jonas has orders to wake us at five��

�Five!� Peter groaned.

�Well, I wanted to make it four, but Duggan said an extra hour in the dark would slow us more than if we waited till closer to dawn. This way we have time for a quick breakfast.� Darren grinned at his brother�s grimace.

�Oh, I suppose. See you in the morning, brother.�

Darren smiled warmly as he watched his brother close the study door behind him. Then he looked back at the ledger in front of him and groaned softly himself before he went back to checking the numbers.

Daniel stretched cold-stiffened muscles. A residual warmth on the floor told him the stallion had left only recently. He worked the muscles carefully, knowing from experience how important it was to be able to move quickly.

He shivered suddenly, more from a memory than the cold����

It was the morning his father had never come back. He had awakened alone. The house was cold. His thin jacket was barely enough to warm him. He had stumbled out into the snow. The sun was a dazzling brilliance in the crisp cold air. He had found his father�s tracks easy enough. The warmth generated by his exertions was quickly stripped away by the biting wind blowing over the dormant land.

He remembered his confusion when his father�s clear tracks joined dog tracks. They didn�t have any dogs�. And he remembered the wolf, suddenly in front of him. Saliva dripped from its bloody muzzle as it growled its warning.

Fear gripped him so hard it hurt to breathe. He turned and ran back toward their cabin. The wolf played with him. Loping easily behind him as he crashed through thickets, stumbling over rocks and roots. Running in terrified silence.

He screamed when the wolf bowled him over, showing him it knew just how weak he was. That it could kill him whenever it tired of the game.

That was the first time he had seen the stallion. It had seemed huge to his child�s eyes. Shining golden in the sun. It had screamed its challenge to the wolf, pawing the ground threateningly. The delicately shaped head was held high and seemed at odds with the deadly glint he saw in its eyes.

The battle had been short and terrible. He could still hear their screams and growls after all these years. The stallion had received a jagged tear to a hindquarter when the wolf attacked. Daniel lay where he�d fallen, afraid for his unusual savior.

But in the end the stallion had prevailed, crushing the wolf�s head with his sharp hooves.

The otherwise perfect coat still bore the scar of that battle.

Daniel breathed in the cold air slowly and deeply, and then rolled to a sitting position, flexing arms and legs to be sure all of his muscles were warm, and he was ready.

He didn�t know why this old cabin had kept him safe all these years. Perhaps his father had told him and he�d simply forgotten? He couldn�t remember exactly how long he�d been alone either, but he remembered what his father had taught him about wilderness survival; though some of it had been beyond him when he was little, it had been enough to keep him fed and safe. Catching fish in the mountain lake. Snaring small animals for meat. Edible roots. Which mushrooms were safe, which poisonous. Where to find berries most of the year. Which grasses were edible. Which made the best bedding and which made the best torch material.

He studied the bottoms of his boots. They had been his father�s� the last of the two pair he�d left behind. The soles were almost worn through. He�d have to fix them soon. It was too cold to go without. And he was wearing out the last of his father�s clothes, too.

He looked around the only place that had been home to him. That had sheltered him through so much since he�d lost his father. Looking up at the splintered roof, he knew he wouldn�t be able to return again. He didn�t think it would survive the winter that seemed headed his way.

He sighed deeply. That cave he�d found had offered more protection during the rain. Perhaps it would shelter him from the cold.

�Better make sure I have fire with me when I explore it. Just in case something has decided to hibernate there.�

Ignoring the growling in his stomach, Daniel left the remains of the cabin in search of the proper fuel for a torch.

�Are the men ready, Duggan?�

�Yes they are, Mr. Hayes. Joe and Frank are on the corral wagons. Soon�s we get to the holding field the men�ll set up the three smaller pens, and make sure the holding corral is sound. I figure we�ve got two hunnerd and fifty-seven mares, according to the books. The four should do the job.�

Darren nodded. �And putting them into the smaller pens first will let us check them off quickly. Good planning, Duggan.� He swung into the saddle of his sorrel gelding. �All right, men. Quicker we start, quicker we get home again. I need those mares home safe. Let�s ride!�

A low chorus of whoops and cheers sounded. He spun his horse in a circle so he could watch the formation of his men. They might not be an army, but he liked his men to look professional. Duggan knew where they were going today. The prime grazing field between his property and the land Neils was going to sell him.

The men were in high spirits in spite of the morning chill. Darren grinned. Happy men made fewer mistakes.

�Darren, I don�t know how I let you talk me into this every year.� Peter grumbled as they fell in beside the chuck wagon.

�You know you love it, Peter,� Darren chuckled, with a grin on his face. �Or you wouldn�t visit this time every year.�

Peter snorted. �I think it�s more a case of I forget during the rest of the year what it�s like.�

Darren laughed at his brother�s forlorn sigh and touched his heels to his mount�s flanks, sending his horse shooting forward while his brother mumbled epithets behind him.

It had taken several hours for Daniel to find everything he needed to start a fire and make a torch. He blew on his fingers to warm them before carefully taking the flint from his pocket. He knelt down, blocking the wind from his small pile of moss and lichen while he struck the flint against a stone. Once. Twice. The third time a spark landed. He struck it again, another spark. He paused, blowing gently on the spark.

Luck was with him. It caught and began to burn. Soon he was able to add the smaller twigs, then the smaller branches. His stomach growled again. He shook his head and then began twisting the collection of grasses, mosses, and mud around the stick he had chosen to use for his makeshift light.

Once he had the torch lit, he carefully banked the fire, then set off toward the cave. The sound of hoof beats reached his ears moments before he heard the friendly nicker and felt the wash of warm breath. He chuckled and paused in his climb to rub the soft nose.

�Got yourself a lady, hey?� He grinned at the sparkle in the stallion�s eye. The horse snorted and nodded its head. �Where do you find them? Better, where do you keep them? Where will you keep them?� He moved closer to the warm body, careful to keep the torch well down to the side. �You know this is going to be a bad winter, don�t you? You probably know better than me��

He stood there a moment longer, the companionship warming him more than the body. Not even the shaggy winter coat could dull the beauty of the stallion.

�I�ve got to go now� you need to get back to your girls,� he grinned and gently pushed away. The horse neighed and nodded, stamping one foot, then turned and trotted off.

Daniel carefully took a deep breath, and then resumed his trek to the cave.

�We should be ready to start the roundup in an hour or so, Mr. Hayes.�

Darren nodded. �Jonas, can you have a warm meal ready before they head out?�

�That I can, Mr. Hayes.� The big man nodded. Jonas was not your typical servant. Or cook. There was not an ounce of fat on the big man�s body. Why he had decided on a career as a gentleman�s gentleman, Darren had never been able to discern. But he�d been thankful more than once for the man�s devotion. �And you can let the men know I�m going to be keeping one fire going with a good hearty stew the whole time we�re here. In this cold, with the irregular schedules, keeping the insides warm will be important.�

�I don�t know what I�d do without you, Jonas. Thank you.�

The men ate quickly and chatted amiably, going over who would be searching where, and how much time to spend searching each area.

�Do your best to get them all. We�ve lost a few every year over the last five years� I can�t afford that this year, so look sharp!�

Nods and affirmative murmurs before the men mounted up and rode off.

�So what are your plans for the day, little brother?� Peter asked.

�I�m going to ride up Northwest. Neils told me there�s an old building up that way� may have belonged to the previous owners of the land he is selling me��

�I seem to remember Dad talking long ago about a neighbor� going to be breeding like him� only nothing ever came of it. The man just up and disappeared.�

�Hunh� I don�t remember that.�

�You were pretty young. This may be his property.�

�Was. Neils paid the back taxes. He owns it now; unless, or until, I can come up with the cash.�