Ulysees fought his way through the thick mud of the trail. The slimy mire pulled and sucked at his legs, swallowing him up to his knees. He wrenched his front hooves from the squelching muck and made a leap, landing a short distance ahead. Oh, how his muscles burned. He stopped and panted, his listless eyes gazing up at the drab sky far above the trees. He couldn’t even tell what part of the day it was because the sun never showed itself. Was it getting dark?
Glancing about in the gloomy shadows that surrounded the trail, his ears pricked forward listening for night creatures. The hair on his neck rose, despite the sweat and mud that covered his body.
“I should have brought Téo with me. How stupid. Everyone knows unicorns should never travel alone in case they’re injured,” he muttered.
Ulysees scanned the woods until he was certain no beast waited to pounce from the underlying brush or from the branches above. He leapt forward again, struggling, until eventually he saw the welcome shores of the turquoise lake before him. The mud had grown thinner and the trail firm. Placing his hooves on harder ground, he quickened his pace until he stood at the edge of the water. His heart sank. The lake had lost its beauty, its waters changed to a dreary grey. A stench of rot filled the air.
Memories of the day Darius carried them on his back to retrieve the red flowers wandered through his mind. How happy they had been then, searching for the truth. How clever they thought themselves at having outsmarted Icarus.
“Darius? Darius?” Ulysees called. He paused to listen.
A shrill phantom-like wind whistled through the trees.
“Darius, it’s me, Ulysees. I’ve come back.” His eyes scanned the waves on the lake for the welcome sight of the dinosaur’s head rising from the water. “Darius. I’m sorry. I should have listened to what you had to say. Darius?”
A sudden gust of wind blasted his face with freezing rain. He shook his head with discomfort. When he regained his senses, his eyes roved over the lake for signs of the dinosaur. Bare tree branches reached skeletal hands into drab skies. Their nakedness revealed land forms he had never noticed before – a giant boulder, a ridge, and … next to a copse of trees, a bare knoll. Fixing his gaze on the small hill, he frowned. There was something odd about it.
He trudged through slippery mud and rotting plants, keeping the knoll in his line of vision. As he wandered closer, the swollen creek blocked his way. Releasing a sigh of frustration, Ulysees followed the brook until he found a spot shallow enough to cross. The cold water numbed his legs. When he reached the other side, he doubled back to where the grove of trees stood against the bleak sky and drew up alongside it. Shock swept through his body.
Darius’ long neck stretched out on the ground, his eyes shut into narrow slits. His body, like a giant mound of earth, lay rigid.
Ulysees gagged and broke into a sweat, fighting to keep away the fear that threatened to overtake him. Breathing deeply, he tried to calm himself. He regarded his friend, searching the body until he found what he’d been looking for … the long stick thrust into his heart.
“Oh, Darius,” he cried. “Who did this to you?” Tears filled his eyes, spilling onto his cheeks. Sobs forced their way up his throat, choking him. “Darius … Darius … no! It can’t be. I need you.”
Ulysees threw his head back and let out a loud moan, a forlorn cry like the howl of a lone wolf. “I’m sorry, Darius. I’m so, so sorry. I wouldn’t listen, and now they’ve gone and killed you.”
The unicorn cried bitterly, his tears spilling to the ground. Then anger filled him. “Humans!” He spat the words. “And you wanted me to trust them?” Shaking his rain-smattered coat vigorously, he shouted out his anguish. “I will never, ever trust a human!”
His words echoed, empty against the forces of nature.
Heavy cries of agony heaved from his body, weeks of emotion pouring forth his pain until a small thought whispered in his mind.
Find Ali.
Ulysees raised his head as though someone had a spoken the words out loud. He pricked his ears forward only to hear the sound of the rain pummeling the earth.
Then … it whispered again. Find Ali.
Ulysees rose to his feet. “Darius, is that you?” He glanced at the dinosaur’s body, and seeing no life, spun about wildly.
Find Ali.
“But where?” he shouted.
The snow-covered mountain peak of Unicorn Falls flashed through his mind.
“On the mountain?” he asked. “But …” The image faded until he saw Alannah’s face contorted with pain.
She needs you.
Leaping into the air, he caught the wind. It carried him a great distance before dropping him to the ground. He leapt again. This time the wind let out a gust so strong he rose above the trees. For a moment, panic struck him when he saw how high it had carried him … until he spotted the tall peak of Unicorn Falls far in the distance.
“If I keep catching these stormy gusts of wind, I’ll get there much faster,” he said.
A day later, he galloped up the trail and around the pinnacle that marked the entrance to the valley and halted. The lake had grown so large, there was no walkway around it. Across the water, he saw the herd. A stallion pushed his way to the front, trumpeting a neigh of challenge.
It was Icarus!
Clenching his teeth, Ulysees paced the shore, looking for a route, any route. When he saw there was none, he did the only thing he could – he shadow-walked.
Cheers rose from across the lake, urging him onward, applauding him. Ulysees concentrated on the opposite shore with all his might. “Can’t lose my focus, or I may fall in,” he whispered. His eyes fixed on Icarus, he strode across until he hit solid ground and stood face to face with his enemy.
Icarus’ ears lay flat against his head, his eyes so fierce, they burned.
Ulysees glared back. “What are you doing here?”
The sides of Icarus’ mouth turned up in an evil grin. “I’ve come to save the herd,” he said. “You were disobedient, and now Jaresh is punishing us all.”
Steam flared from Ulysees’ nostrils. “He is not!”
“Oh, yes he is. What do you think this is all about?” He pointed his horn up to the stormy skies.
“There is no Jaresh.”
“Oh, yes there is. He revealed himself to me when I was small. The others didn’t know about it before. I was special. That’s why he came to me.”
“That’s a lie!” Ulysees glowered at the stallion. Turning to the mares, he asked, “Where’s Alannah?”
“She’s in the cave.” Sarah whimpered. “Her foal is coming.”
His voice filled with venom, Ulysees glared at Icarus. “I’ll take care of you later.” Then with a sharp turn, he dashed to the entrance of the cave.
“Alannah,” he called.
“I’m here, Ulysees.”
Ulysees flinched at the pain in her voice. He trotted to her side and laid his cheek against hers.
“Oh, Ulysees, I thought something terrible had happened to you.”
“No, I’m alive and well, but we have to find Ali.”
“I can’t,” she cried, letting out a low groan.
Ulysees saw the growing ripples in her thick sides. His voice grew urgent. “Alannah, something bad is about to happen. You and I need to climb to the top of the mountain.”
“How can I?” She grimaced with pain.
“Alannah, you simply must. If there’s ever a time I’ve needed you to be strong, it’s now.”
Alannah winced as her sides continued to tighten. When the throbbing had passed, she quietly said, “All right then, let’s go.”
Icarus blocked their path as they left the cave. “And just where do you think you’re going with a member of my herd?”
“She’s not a member of your herd, Icarus. She’s my mate.”
Icarus pawed his front hoof on the ground. “No, she’s a member of my herd.”
Ulysees stood his full height, meeting the stallion head on. “Icarus, something terrible is about to happen. We all need to leave now.”
The stallion let out a terrible laugh. “Yeah, right. Just like there’s a Darius.”
Ulysees’ eyes watered at the mention of the dinosaur’s name. He bowed his head and muttered, “Darius is dead.”
The unicorns gasped.
“He was slaughtered by the humans.”
Icarus let out a malicious laugh. “A likely story.” He faced the herd. “You see, he made up Darius, and now he’s conveniently killing him.” His eyes blazed with victory.
A thick silence hovered over the unicorns.
Then a lone voice cried out. “Leave him be.” It was Danae, pushing his way through the herd. “You’ve got your mares, now let him have his.”
With his words, the other stallions found their strength. “Yes, leave him be,” they chorused, pressing in on Icarus, their eyes filled with contempt.
Uncertainty flashed across Icarus’ face. He backed away as their chanting grew more aggressive. Throwing his head over his shoulder, he looked as though he might flee, but instead a smirk replaced his expression. “Oh, alright. Go ahead. Take her. You don’t stand a chance anyway.”
The stallions broke into jubilant cheers.
As Ulysees moved toward the cave, he turned once more and glared at Icarus. “You know you’ll get what you deserve, don’t you?”
A nervous laugh escaped Icarus. He cleared his throat. “I have what I deserve – the herd. Now get out of here!”
Ulysees flashed a final look of hatred at Icarus, and then began working his way up the mountain with Alannah, slowly grinding his hooves in the stone and soil. They stopped when Alannah laboured, the agony in her sides making movement difficult. When her pains passed, they pressed on until, near the top, she finally cried in anguish.
“The foal’s coming,” she said, her breath heaving.
Ulysees searched about frantically for shelter until he saw an indentation in the rock – a grotto. “Over there.” He pointed his horn.
Alannah dragged her hooves to the overhang. Taking a deep breath, she gave the last push.
The tiny foal popped out, trembling with the cold, and struggled to rise to its feet.
“Come on, little one,” Alannah coaxed. “Up you go. You can do it.”
The foal flailed his legs, his hooves scraping the slippery stone. The wind blew a gust of chilly air, ruffling his damp fur.
“It’s too cold,” said Alannah “We’ve got to find a warmer place or he’ll die.”
Ulysees trotted up and down the length of the grotto until he found an opening. “Over here, Alannah. It’s a cave.”
Alannah pushed the colt up with her nose.
It struggled to its feet just long enough to enter the hole, and then collapsed again.
The wind howled, and rain lashed against the walls. Together, they licked the colt’s fur until his shivering stopped.
“What happened to Darius?” asked Alannah.
Swallowing the lump that rose in his throat, Ulysees told her about the spear that pierced Darius’ heart, and the whispered words.
Alannah’s eyes filled with tears as he recounted his story. “And he wants us to find Ali? But how?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that he wanted us exactly where we are now.” He paused, eyeing the light filtering in at the mouth of the cave. “Alannah, I have to go outside and see what’s happening.”
Glancing at the colt, she sighed and said, “Alright, but come back soon.”
Ulysees slipped out of the cave and into the savage storm.