*~FOUR MONTHS EARLIER~*

Mikaela Indries lives with her family on a cattle ranch in the Wyoming mountains. They own a handful of farm horses, Hugo, a black Clydesdale cross with a big white blaze was her favourite. Today Mikaela and her father Ryan are bringing in a herd of heifers. As they directed the herd across the mountains something catches Mikaela's eye.

"Dad look! I think we missed one?" Mikaela called, steering Hugo away from the cows and urging him into a steady lope. A figure was stumbling down the mountain towards us. "Micky hold up!" Ryan called after her. But the animal spooked and took off back along the hill. As it reached  the top, the sun outlined its slender body. It was a horse.
"Go Hugo, go boy!" She urged. He leapt into a full out gallop and in seconds they had crossed the flat lands and were carefully picking their way up the rocky slope. She slowed Hugo further as they crested the hill. The horse stumbled and fell, as Hugo pulled up a safe distance away Mikaela could see the whites of the... gelding's eyes and the bay colour of his coat. Mikaela walked Hugo up to a tree and tied him there with a rope. She bent down and inched towards the other horse, hoping to look less frightening. His sides heaved as he struggled to rise. His coat was a rugged mess. "It's ok I'm here boy, it's gonna be ok." She cooed and stroked his neck. Eventually his breathing slowed and his heart rate came back to normal. "Now look what we have here!" Ryan exclaimed as he dismounted his horse and tied her up beside Hugo.
"Daddy he needs our help, please?" Mikaela begged, not daring to think of what would happen if they left him here in the mountains alone. He nodded calmly and they both began to urge him to his feet. Ryan grabbed the rope from his lasso and the bay stood obediently as he tied it as a temporary halter around his face. He certainly wasn't a wild mustang. Mikaela pondered the possibilities in her head. Most likely he has escaped from some nearby farm and been roughing it for a couple of days to possibly weeks. Hugo's black form pawed the ground, anxious to get going. Dad saw him too. "We better get going Micky, you know there are mountain lions in these mountains!" She nodded and was surprised to find the bay followed her without much encouragement. Hugo eagerly pushed his nose towards the bay to introduce himself while she mounted. Mikaela reached down and stroked the bay's head. He had traces of Appaloosa spots on his bum, or was it mud?

~**~

Back at the farm Mikaela found him a rope halter and lead rope. She lead him across the drive to the barn and tied him up outside. He stood quietly as Mikaela brushed away the muck on his coat. He had a nasty scar running from the top of his neck all the way down to the girth area. "What on earth happened to you?!" She pondered. Once all the dirt was gone and coat was more or less clean Mikaela stood back to admire him.
He was an average bay with mottled spots around his nose and eyes. As she had thought, he had Appaloosa spots on his haunches. Mikaela had to admit he wasn't the prettiest horse she'd seen, but it was the heart that matters. Mikaela gasped in shock as her hand brushed a brand. ÆS. He's branded?