Zorro (novel) blossoms into a romance, and Diego is forced to remain at home to recover after suffering a few broken ribs during the attack. Diego and Bernardo then undergo a test to prove their maturity and to find their spirit guide, a totemic animal which would guide the boys' future. Bernardo's spirit guide is a horse, in the form of Tornado, a motherless colt which Bernardo encounters and cares for. Diego's is a fox ("zorro" in his native Spanish) who saves his life. After the events in the forest, Alejandro, oblivious to the Indian training Diego has been receiving, receives a
Zorro and 1951, a period in which McCulley published 52 short stories with the character for the "West Magazine". "Zorro Rides the Trail!", which appeared in "Max Brand's Western Magazine" in 1954, is the last story to be published during the author's lifetime, and the second-to-last story overall. The last, "The Mask of Zorro" (not to be confused with the 1998 film), was published posthumously in "Short Stories for Men" in 1959. These stories ignore Zorro's public revelation of his identity. "The Curse of Capistrano" eventually sold more than 50 million copies, becoming one of the most sold books of all