The oldest filly of the herd, Calli, was running full out through the sandy terrain. She was playing with her younger half-sister, Lilly. The two still didn't understand how they could have two different mothers, but share the same father. But Calli wasn't worried about that. She was just glad she had someone to play with rather than her tempermental twin brother. She squealed in joy as she raced out over the land, circling and looping joyously under the intense, burning sun.

Cal, the alpha of the lands, watched his two daughters romping around through the sand. He was standing next to one of his mares, Belle. Next to her was his first and only son, Brego. He rustled his son's short mane playfully and nuzzled his mare. "How have you been?" he asked sweetly. He glanced over her shoulder to look at his other mare. Rose had just given birth and she was worn out. He was worried about her, but he had to catch up with Belle - besides, she was fine for now, she was just resting.

Cal smiled down on his son. "Oh, he's just playing, right? Boys will be boys. I'm glad to see you've gotten better." He ruffled Brego's short mane playfully. He smiled at the beautiful mare before him - the mother of two of his children. He loved both of his mares so much. He couldn't possibly think of a happier time in his life. "So," he muttered. "What do you think of Tiger Lilly? A beauty, isn't she?" He smiled as he watched the fillies frolicking, then turned to Brego and Belle once more. "But not as handsome as you," he added, smiling to Brego.

Cal nuzzled both of his mares lovingly, but then ran after his son. He whinnied playfully and tossed his head in the air. He half-reared as well and nudged Brego jokingly. "Come on!" he said, running out a little bit from the two mares. "Let's play!"

Cal reared fully, towering over his son, but whinnying happily. He nipped at his son's rear, then bolted in the other direction, looking over his shoulder and nickering sillily at Brego. He stole a glance to his two mares as he waited for his son to catch up. They seemed happy, too. As he saw the fillies playing beyond, he had to wonder - was he ever going to be able to choose which one of them would be alphess?

Cal whickered in surprise as Brego caught up with him. He was immidiately thrust back into the game and chased after his son once more. When Brego reached the oasis, he didn't hesitate to splash into the water with joy. He bucked and kicked, throwing his head up with happiness. He sent a wave of water towards his son by flicking his nose in the water, then splashed through the water to the other side so that Brego could not splash him back. He remembered when Rose and himself had first come here and played this same game.

Cal walked closer to his son, his smile fading in worry. "Are you ok?" he asked, concerned. "Brego?" He blinked and snorted as he was splashed by Brego's sudden stomping. "Hey!" he cried, laughing again. "I'm sorry," he added, still worried as to if his son was ok. "Maybe we should rest for a while . . .?"

Cal was a bit taken aback by his son's sudden anger. "What a hot-headed temper you can have!" he mused, watching his son get back into the game. After what had happened, Cal wasn't really in a playful mood anymore. "I think I'm going to go talk with your mother and Rose for a little bit," he finally muttered. "If you want to play, you'll have to go and join your sisters." He walked out of the water, but watched his son carefully.

The alpha joined his two mares. He nuzzled Belle long and lovingly, sighing heavily as he did so. He had something on his mind that he had to get out before he burst. His dark, soft eyes turned to Rose. "Rose, dearest," he murmured. "May I pull you away for a moment?" His face was blank as he looked back to Belle. "I'll be right back." He nuzzled her again, closing his eyes and taking in her familiar scent. He turned and sent an appologetic nicker to Brego, sorry that their game had been cut short - but this was important. Then he turned to Rose once more and led her away and out of ear-shot of the others.

"Well," he sarted. "As you know, you and I have known each other for a long time, now. And I love you, which I know you know." He stopped, hesitating. He looked again to Belle. He knew he would have to pay for this later, but he truly felt deep down in his heart that this was somehow the right descision. "And now that we have three foals running about the place, I've been thinking of, well . . . of the empty alphess position."
He paused again, taking a deep breath and holding it. Well, here goes nothing. He looked deep into her blue eyes with his dark brown ones and asked, "Rose Bud, will you be my alphess?"

Cal smiled as well. "Great!" he exclaimed, his eyes brightening. "I knew you'd be happy. And it was such a toss up, too, but I figured that you were the first mare here, and my first love, so who would be better suited than yourself?"
However, his excitedness ebbed for a moment as he glanced once more towards Bella-dare. He sighed heavily. "Belle won't like this one bit," he muttered dejectedly. "I just love you both so much."

Cal sighed again - he was so torn. He was happy for Rose, but his stomach churned when he thought of Belle. He loved her so much, but what if she left when she heard the news? What if she took Brego or Calli with her? Then Cal would be a broken stallion. He would not be able to rule as alpha anymore without her.
He walked slowly back to her, motioning for Rose Bud to follow. "Well," Cal said hesitantly. "We have some good news." His ears were back slightly in a reserved manner - as if they were too scared to face Belle's gaze. He looked down to Brego, but he wasn't looking too happy, either. Oh, what had he done? In the course of about twenty minutes, had he really torn his herd apart like this?

Cal also gazed upon the small colt. How peaceful children look when they're sleeping, he mused. He couldn't bring his eyes to meet Belle's as he said, "Rose has been made the alphess of the herd!" He didn't say it as excitedly as he felt, and his words might have flown by just a bit faster than normal. He stole a glance at Belle, but he was not able to hold her gaze. He looked back to Rose, but he couldn't quite look at her either. So he settled his dark eyes on the two fillies who were still romping through the sand beyond them, his face blank.

Suddenly, Calli skidded to a halt, spraying sand over herself and Tiger Lilly. "Hey!" she said. "Look over there!" she was looking to the spot where Cal stood with the rest of his small herd. "Let's go see what the grown-ups are up to." However, as she walked closer, she regretted her descision. Cal looked worried and Belle looked even worse . . .

Calli was comforted slightly by her mother's small smile towards her - but not much. It was then that the filly noticed the tears swimming in her mother's eyes. She looked from Cal to Belle - confused as to what they were talking about. But she knew better than to ask. She stepped forward and touched her small muzzle to her mother's and then stood beside her, watching her father for signs of sadness as well. Tiger Lilly fell asleep at her mother's feet, so she was obviously not worried about anything.

The alpha sighed deeply as his keen ears picked up on the small whispers of Belle. "Belle . . ." he muttered, not knowing what to say. He could see the anger and heartbreak in her eyes, but couldn't she see that it was a hard descision for him, too? "Of course you're good enough for me. Why else would you be here? Why else would Brego and Calli be here? I love you, and I thought you knew that. Just because Rose is the alphess doesn't mean that I have to love you any less, or her any more. You're both still my mares, and I couldn't remain alpha without you." His soft eyes glanced at the equines around him. This is where he belonged - between Belle, Rose and his foals. But what if Belle left him, now? He was sure that he would die of heartbreak - then how good of an alpha would he be?

The roan chestnut filly perked her ears as she heard her father mention her. She glanced again to her mother, wondering what her reply would be. Calli didn't want to leave - this was her home. She didn't even understand what the word "alphess" meant, but it obviously meant a lot to the grown-ups.

Calli perked her ears as her mother mentioned her. She was taking her and Brego away? She didn't want to go! She twitched an ear back to examine her brother. "Me too," she muttered as he spoke, her voice barely audible. She didn't want to leave, either. This was her first home. How could Belle leave such a place? Surely she still loved Cal? Calli didn't understand the complicated buisness of adults . . .

"I - I had to pick and Alphess," Cal stuttered, blinking at Belle's tremendous anger. "It's to make the herd better . . ." But as he watched Belle, a small voice muttered in his head, Well, is this any better? He couldn't help but shake his head at her next comment. Cal was a kind, gentle stallion and he was not used to the anger that was welling up inside of him. "So what are you saying?" he asked, venom dripping from his voice. "Are you questioning as to wether I love you or not? After two foals and a brand new family? Are you seriously asking this? You know that I can't make you both alphess! Rose was my first mare, that's why she's alphess. It doesn't mean I love her any more than you!" As Belle went on, he actually had to glare at her for the first time since he had met her. "Do you honestly think that I wouldn't follow you if you left? Do you even know me at all? I thought for sure that you did, but I guess I was wrong. Because if you knew me at all, you knew that I would travel to the ends of the earth to win you back if you ever left." He glanced down at Brego and Calli. He was upset that they were having to watch their parents fighting like this, but there was no way to protect them from these troubles. "As for taking Brego and Calli with you - you wouldn't dare. There's no way that I'm allowing them outside of these borders, whether you leave or not!"

The filly twitched at her brother's side. It was bad enough that her parents were fighting - but now they were going to fight over her and Brego? It was almost too much for her young mind to bear.

The filly's ears were twitching nervously as she stayed as close to her brother as she could. "I don't know," she muttered in reply. She was truly shaking now in fear of her parents' anger. She couldn't just stand there and watch anymore. "Brego, let's get out of here . . ." she suggested, turning away from her mother's fiery eyes and her father's flattened ears.

Cal continued to glare at Belle as she spoke again. "You know very well that I don't want to take the foals away from you - but I will if I think it's what's best for them!" She shook his head, his nares flaring as he breathed heavily in frustration. "What do you want me to do, Belle? Do you want me to chase after you? Do you want me to just let you leave? You say I don't know what love is - well why don't you tell me, then? Tell me what I need to do to make you truly happy!" He was trying to be sincere, but his voice was still loud with the anger that pulsed through him. Never could he remember being so upset.

"I don't know," Calli muttered. "Anywhere but there." She looked up as Rose and Lilly followed them. "What's going to happen?" she asked, to no one in perticular. "What's going to happen to us now?"

The alpha watched Rose walk away from them. He was shocked and appaled to hear what Belle told him next. How could she be so selfish? But Cal could understand where she was coming from. He had always pictured himself as a one-mare stallion, too, but it hadn't ended up that way. There's no such thing as one love in life - those only happen in stories. People change and life moves on. He never thought that it would be able to love two mares at once, but here he was. It was if he was one way when he was with Belle, and he was a totally different person when he was with Rose. He thought that he had just been lucky to have two loves in his life, but now he realized that it had just been foolish to hope that the two would ever get along peacefully here.
The sun beat down on him as he remained quiet, thinking. His ears twitched, he shook his head, but he didn't speak. Tears were ready to spring at the edge of his dark eyes. What was he to do now? What was there that he could do? "Belle," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "What do you suppose I do, then?" He looked up at her, his face strained to fight back the tears. When his eyes met hers, he almost completely collapsed, but he managed to stay rooted on his four strong hooves. "I can't leave Rose, and I can't leave you. But yet you're telling me that I can't have both. I know life isn't always fair, but this seems a bit extreme, don't you think? So I want you to tell me: what do you supose we do?"

"I may be alpha, but you of all people know that I don't exactly rule with an iron fist. I want to make sure that whatever decision I make is in the best welfare for everyone here in the deserts, and in order to make that decision, I have to know your true feelings. And now I do." He paused, looking deep into her eyes as he thought. He chuckled slightly. "So those are my options?" he asked. "Let you leave or love you again? You make it sound as if I fell out of love with you at one time." He smiled, then added, "I've always loved you, Belle, and of course I'm going to love you forever. I don' think that I'll be very satisfied if you're constantly sad, though. Are you sure there's nothing I can do to fix that? Nothing at all?" He moved closer towards her as if offering himself to her mercy, waiting for her final decision.

Calli nodded, looking back as well to glance at her parents. "It looks like they're working it all out, though," she muttered, trying to stay positive.

Cal smiled. "I don't think that that should be too hard," he said, coming still closer but still leaving Belle her space in case she still watned it. "I do love you, Belle. And, believe me, I'll find a way to prove it. It just may take a while . . ." His eyes softened and his ears came forward. The fight was officially over, but he wasn't out of trouble yet.