Five suns later, the cries of the other foals awoke Ulysees. He raised his head and strained his sleepy eyes toward the noise in time to see Icarus herding the bawling foals away from the mares.
Ulysees clambered to his dam’s side. “Mother!” He searched her face for reassurance, but Sarah stood transfixed, her eyes skittering.
“Come, Ulysees,” a cold voice said from behind.
Ulysees swung around. It was Ramah. He bolted back two steps. “Mother, save me!”
Sarah remained frozen, her voice quivering. “Ulysees, you must go with them. You have to learn the skills vital to your survival.”
“Sur-vi-val?” he asked. “What’s that?”
“It means no human can capture you or harm you because you’re strong and swift. You must never lose your freedom because it’s far worse than death.”
Ulysees shuddered, his eyes wide. “But what are humans?” he asked.
Lowering her head to his level, Sarah spoke in a near-whisper. “They’re strange creatures that walk on two legs and have no fur. And instead of hooves, they have hands, like apes, that give them the power to do things you could never imagine. They’re very dangerous.”
Ulysees turned and eyed the other foals, his hide rippling.
“Go, my son. The day will pass quickly enough, and then you’ll be with me again.”
“But Mother –”
“You have no choice.” She cast her eyes down.
Ulysees felt the thump of Ramah’s nose pushing him from behind. He let out a nervous cry and dug in his heels.
“Stop that!” commanded Ramah, her coarse voice grating his ears. “You’re a unicorn. You must show honour and valour.”
“But I don’t know what valour is.” Ulysees’ face contorted.
“Don’t be silly. You have to be brave. You can be away from your mother for a little while,” she said, her voice filled with sarcasm.
He swung about one last time to search for Sarah, but she was already gone.
The foals whimpered while they traveled, but as the distance from the mares grew, their cries became weaker. They walked for what seemed ages, until they came to a meadow deep in the forest. Here green grass blew softly in the wind, and the sun warmed the earth, unhindered by the shade of the leaves. The colours, tiny drops of red, yellow, and pink that grew in the grass – the flowers – made him draw in his breath.
Slipping in beside Téo, he waited to see what Icarus would do.
The stallion turned and addressed them, his voice stern. “You are all the ancestors of Azaria, the Great Stallion, the one who defeated Ishmael and founded our Legacy. It was he who taught the unicorns our three survival techniques, and you shall all learn them to perfection. Perfection – understood? For if you don’t, you may perish at the hands of the humans.” He paused, assessing each of the foals in turn.
Ulysees and Téo shared nervous glances.
Icarus continued. “The first technique you must learn is to ride the wind. It looks like this.” Icarus leapt forward and … disappeared.
The unicorns exchanged wide-eyed stares, mumbling excited words until the stallion rematerialized.
“You saw that?” Icarus asked. Looking somewhat smug, his eyes roved over the foals and landed on Ulysees. “Ulysees, you’ll try it first.”
“B-but I don’t know what you did,” said Ulysees.
“And you won’t know either until you try it,” Icarus said, his tone derisive. “Now go!”
Trembling, Ulysees took two cautious steps forward. He raised his forelegs to race away, but before he could move, Icarus shouted.
“No! You have to wait until the wind blows, and then catch it and let it carry you.”
Ulysees cowered at his words. “Like this?” He paused for a few seconds, a breeze ruffling the downy fur of his ears, and then leapt, galloping only a few lengths.
“Ugh!” said Icarus, his patience waning. “Wait longer. You have to become the wind.”
“But I don’t know how to become the wind.” Ulysees’ voice shook.
“Do you want to be captured?” Icarus growled.
“No.” Ulysees cowered.
“Then do what I say!” ordered the stallion.
Ulysees tried again. He stood unmoving, listening for the rustle of the leaves in the trees. When a strong gust blew, he leapt again. This time, the wind lifted him, transporting him for a short distance, and then dropped him with a soft thud. His heart racing with exhilaration, Ulysees let out a cry, his eyes wide at how far he’d travel.
Icarus rewarded him with the tiniest hint of a smile, but then resumed his hard stance. “Alright, that’s the idea. Who wants to try now?”
Téo was next, then Alannah, and finally Lilia. They spent the afternoon leaping and catching the wind until their eyes grew sleepy and their young legs wobbly. When the sun had traveled low in the sky, Ulysees was overjoyed to hear the eager steps of the mares who had come to find their young.
Despite his fatigue, he bounded to Sarah, bursting with news. “Look, Mother. I can ride the wind!” He ran with all his might, leaping into the air, flying little stretches to the end of the meadow.
When his mother cheered from a distance, he did it again – anything to see her smile, until Icarus’ ferocious neigh made them turn, and they followed him obediently in complete silence.