Willow and the Lost Elf

There comes a time when a unicorn must face their own nemesis to protect the land. The land of Noal is very peaceful with its warm weather, colorful forests of Black flowers and assorted plants and trees. There are also lovely running streams and water falls. I am Willow, a yellow unicorn. I enjoy eating the red and blue berries that grow hidden with the other wild plants. It is just after dawn in the forest of Noal. Onkyia, my wife, and I have spent the night in our new cave that was once occupied by my parents. Unicorns often gain the cave of our past relatives. My parents were now deceased. Onkyia and I were looking for a place to start our own family. The cave is well-built with a lot of straw for warmth and comfort, near a stream of fresh water and a large waterfall. It is covered with wild flowers and trees for protection from the Black Antars. Onkyia and I love to stand near the stream and listen to waterfall. Sometimes the suns rays will hit the falling water and produce rainbows with assorted bright colors that shine throughout the stream. During these days, we lie on the peaceful warm ground and dream about the after-life. We love to dream about running wild in green fields with other unicorns where there are no Black Antars or other creatures trying to hunt and kill us. I had hoped that today was going to be one of those days, but I could tell by the sounds of hooves in the distance that this day would lead to a new adventure. Would it be a quest for the protection of the land that has been the home of unicorns and other creatures for millions of years? Onkyia and I ran back to our cave. There, we were met by two unicorns Dacky and Lackia, a centaur Dane, and two elves Flowie and Gloria. Centaurs are bihuman creatures with an upper body of a man and the lower body of a unicorn. There are two races of centaur. The race with rounded ears; that are kind to all creatures, and the centaurs with pointed eared centaurs that hated all life. Centaurs of both races carried bows and swords for weapons. The female centaurs all have long wavy hair of assorted colors. They are equally strong, and they are not afraid to fight with their male counterparts. Dane was the leader of the Molas, the centaurs that respected all creatures. Dane was strong and fast with weapons. He stood very stern like a soldier on guard ready to fight in a battle. He was very direct with his words towards others. He had strong arms, short black hair, and eyes that could turn water into fire. We waited in the cave as Dacky was the first to speak to me. “She is gone. He took her away to his cave. We think he is preparing for the big unification”, Dacky hurriedly said. “Who did he take?” I asked. “Our child!” Flowie responded. “But he needs a human child to fulfill the legend”, Onkyia added. “The legend of everlasting life from the unification of the two suns and the whole moon has been believed for millions of years. There has not been unification for over five hundred years. Do we know when the next unification will be?” I asked. “I spoke to Ballou two days ago, and she explained that the year of the unification will occur in three days”, Dane explained.

“How’s he going to get a human child?” I asked. “Boui has stolen the black stone from Ballou’s cave, he is going to open a portal and lure a child from the other world”, Flowie answered. I turned to look away. “Boui, where have you been for all these years”, I thought. I thought, or rather had hoped, that Boui had died years ago. Boui was a black unicorn that had become the outcast of all unicorns. He was strong with a long black mane and stern body. We were close, almost like best friends as young unicorns, but he become jealous of Onkyia. She chose me as her mate, and when she rejected him, he tried to kill me by leading a group of Black Antars to take me out. I fought against Boui. I left him wounded in the east forest. I had not seen or heard from Boui since the last fight. I escaped from the Black Antars because of my speed. I now knew that I must join the group. I turned back around as Onkyia warned me not to leave the cave. “Are you strong enough to go up against Boui again?” she sadly asked. “I don’t know, but I must go with the group”, I responded. “But why? Why? Must you go!” she slowly rubbed her nose with mine. “Because I am the only one that knows Boui tricks”, I replied. Onkyia looked away into the distance. She knew that I was right. I was the group’s only hope at rescuing Flowie’s child. There was no way that I could stay home. “Be safe, and come home soon”, she said while bowing her head low. “I… I will… I promise”, I replied while running towards the group. Meanwhile, Boui is preparing to lure a child from earth into the land of Noal. “If I place the stones in this area of the forest into a square, then maybe the portal will open. I’ll just wait and pretend that I’m eating berries, and let’s see what happens”. Boui waited and watched liked a hawk watches its prey. The wind began to blow wildly, and a bright light flickered as an image of a young girl lying on her bed appeared in the centered of the portal. She wore a bright blue dress with a yellow belt around the waist and matching shoes. The girl appeared to be crying with her face buried between her folded arms. Boui could see the array of pretty dolls on her night-stand and the many photos and posters hanging on the wall. She looked like a well brought-up child from a nice family. She lifted her face as the bright light startled her. She quickly arose from the bed to see Boui eating berries in the forest. She slowly walked towards the portal as if not knowing to express fear or curiosity. “I will lure her through by bobbing my head up and down. She will not be able to ignore my beauty as she crosses through the portal”. She slowly moved closer and closer until her feet walked onto the bare ground. Then suddenly, the portal quickly closed. Boui slowly walked closer to her. She looked around at all the colorful plants and flowers, and then her eyes shifted on Boui. She slowly reached out to Boui’s nose. “I must earn her trust if I am to take her before him”, thought Boui. “Hello, little girl, what is your name?” said Boui. “My name is Cathy”, she replied by voice. “I’m Boui the unicorn”, Boui replied. “How come I can hear you speak, but your mouth does not move, and where am I?” Cathy asked. “You’re in the land of Noal. You can hear my outer thoughts, but not my inner thoughts, and that’s how we communicate in this land”, replied Boui. “How did I get here?” Cathy asked. But Boui was not going to tell her the truth. “I was just standing here eating my berries when a portal opened and you appeared out of nowhere. A portal sometimes opens when the suns are high in the sky”, responded Boui. “Is there a way to get back? I must return and apology to my parents for picking on my neighbor’s kids”, she added. “I don’t know, but I think I know someone that might”, Boui replied while looking off into the forest upon a mountain in the distance. “Who?” she asked while petting Boui’s nose. “My master!” Boui replied as a sound of rumbling dirt and leaves rang out in the opposite direction. He probably knew that there might be enemies opposing his plans for terror, so he had to take the girl to his beastly master. “Quick! Climb on my back. There is danger in that direction. Hold on to my mane. I hope you can ride a unicorn”, he added as the sounds drew closer. Cathy climbed onto Boui’s back and they ran off towards the mountain. “I see Boui running ahead, and I think I see a child with long yellow hair on his back. I am going after him!” I said while galloping ahead of the group. “Faster! We must go faster!” I thought, but age had weakened my muscles and my body was slowly deteriorating. I was not as young as my younger friends. I ran as fast as I could, but old man distance was getting the best of me. I suddenly stopped to take a breath. I could feel my heart pounding as I struggled to take in air. I was beaten on this battle, but I was only warming up for the war. “I could not catch him, but I know where he is going. He has a female child with him”, I said as the group caught up with me. “Willow, we cannot let Boui reach the mountain”, ordered Dane. “Yes, if Dag unites the child’s blood with our child’s blood and drinks it during the unification, then he not only regains his youth, but he’ll live forever”, Florie explained. “Don’t worry! Boui is a little older than me. He won’t get too far ahead of us before needing to rest. We’ll catch him”. I encouraged everyone. “The Bolas' are on Dag’s side, but we are ready to do battle with them”. Dane added turning to face the group. “The Bolas' crave the power of everlasting life, just like the Black Antars. They believe that with Dag being their leader, they can hunt all young creatures and live an everlasting life”, added Gloria. “We must kill Dag before the unification because the land of Noal, its creatures, and all the unicorns will surely die!” I added while staring back at the group. “We will camp here for the night. We can pick up Boui’s trail in the morning”, said Dane. The rest of the group slept in the night, while I watched towards the mountain at the smoky horizon. I kept my ears and eyes open to watch for, not only the Black Antars, but for any signs of my mortal enemy. I knew that Boui had gotten the dragon flies to build a fire for the child. Unicorns were always great at developing trust with kind creatures. I was sure that Boui would do all that he could to keep the child quiet and calm. In the morning, Flowie and Gloria packed-up their bags and climbed onto Dacky’s and Lackia’s backs. The morning air is warm, but smoky. Dane also picked-up his weapons and bag to prepare for the journey. I could smell Boui’s scent as well as the smoke from the night’s fire. I was sure that Boui had gained the child’s trust, so it was going to be difficult for us to lure her away from him. Boui was a master at telling lies. I was sure that he might have told her lies about me. I am sure that Boui told her about how we once were close “very close” and that I stole his mate. I sometimes remember playing games with him and running races in the warm fields. But after he became jealous of me, he took to trying to get his revenge. Unicorns do not normally have enemies, so why was I the one to get such luxury? It is a terrible thing to have an enemy. I must look behind to see if he out there trying to hurt my spouse, me, or others around me. I just want to be free from him. I just want to feel the peaceful land of Noal without the need to look back at my enemies and decide whether to fight or flee. My only chance at drawing her attention away from him was to play the sweet innocent unicorn that Boui played. I had to find a way to hide my scent while being quiet enough to get close to her without alarming him. My plan is to paint my body with the Sopia flower. This flower grew on every tree. It is a wide peddle flower of multi-colors with a powerful scent that could mask any smell. We sometimes rub against these flowers to hide from the Black Antars. The scent becomes confusing because of the multitude of flowers on the trees. Then it is difficult to distinguish from the flower’s odor and a masked scent. The second part of my plan was to use Lackia as a decoy to draw the child away. Lackia was a female unicorn, so Boui will be blinded by his desires to find a mate. I just needed a few minutes to lure the child away. Dane approved of my plan, so he walked behind the group as we headed towards the mountain. I think he also had other plans with the centaurs. By mid-afternoon, I began to see signs of the legend. The two suns and the moon could be seen high in the sky in a triangular position. We don’t know why the unification occurs every five hundred years, or so. I guess it is a part of the cosmic world or a part of the after world’s plan. I see it as a beautiful event. The stars around the three joining planets burned bright and shined many colors on the forest. I even saw a few shooting stars in the distant sky as it turned bright yellow and orange among some light clouds. I could feel Boui’s presence as we drew closer to the mountain. I knew Boui and the child were not going to go in a different direction since he had to deliver the child to Dag to complete the sacrificial ceremony. The winds were now blowing away from the mountain. Flowie and Gloria mixed the Sopia flower with dirt and water to produce a thick paste. They then covered the smelly paste on my neck, back, and hips. I could smell the scent as it filled my nose to almost sicken my stomach, but I endured the strong odor to save the children and our land. I walked carefully up wind around Boui’s camp. Lackia traveled the opposite direction. She planned to casually trot up to the camp and pretend to be lost. Boui and the child seemed to be resting as my eyes caught a glimpse of their bodies within the deep forest. Shadows from the tall trees, plants, and large leaves made the child almost invisible. I watched from a distance in some thick brushes and trees. I could see Lackia slowly making her way to the camp. It did not take Boui long to sense her presence as she slowly trotted like a unicorn trying to attract its mate. Boui slowly walked to meet her. Boui always was easily attracted to female unicorns. I think this is why other female unicorns felt threaten by his approach. No female unicorn likes to be aggressively pursued. Female unicorns prefer that their male counterpart be subtle and humble in their mating rituals. I watched Boui and Lackia meet, as I slowly made my way towards the child. The child finally spotted me with my head downward as though I was eating berries. “Hello!” she said while extending her hand to pet my nose. “I’m Willow. You are in danger young child. Boui isn’t taking you to meet his wise master. He is leading you to be killed by a terrible dragon”, I thought a loud. She screamed in horror, just as Boui’s head lunged at me causing my legs to stumble. “You must trust me my child if you want to get home!” I added while standing again. But by then, Boui had threatened Lackia by pressing his sharp horn against her neck. “Get on my back young child or I will kill this female unicorn! You don’t want to be responsible for the death of such a beautiful unicorn, do you?” he angrily said. The child slowly walked towards Boui and sadly climbed on to his back. “You stupid Willow! Did you think I was going to fall for that old trick? I could smell you from far away. I just wanted to see if you would jeopardize the child’s life while trying to rescue her!” Boui added while jogging away. “Let her go! You can’t live forever with Dag, and rule this land. Besides, it’s me that you want, not everlasting life!” I loudly added. “I will take the child to Dag, and he and I will live forever. The Bolas, Dag, and I will rule the land of Noal, and all the creatures, including the unicorns, will be in-slaved by our reign of terror!” he added while running deeper towards the mountain. The forest became silent, but in the distance I heard a faint voice yell, “Willow! Please save me!” With the wind blowing stronger and the unification of the two suns and moon drawing near, I knew that the battle for the land of Noal would soon begin. Dane, Flowie, Gloria, and Dacky caught up with Lackia and me. It was now time to rush into the cave where Dag and Boui held the human and elf child. We could see the glowing fire from inside the cave. We also saw several Black Antars guarding the entrance with their spears at hand for battle. In the distance I heard the sounds of the river’s waters running against the rocks. Above, the two suns and moon were joining together. Upon our arrival near the cave, Flowie and Gloria took out their sling-shots and twirled their rocks to strike the Black Antars on their heads. They quietly fell to the ground. Dag, Boui, and two more Black Antars drugged out the two children with their bodies tied to wooden slabs. The battle was now beginning as the sounds of thunder echoed just beyond the other side of the river. “Boui, let them go!” I said as the bank of the other side of the river began to fill with an army of Black Antars and Bolas. I estimated there to be about a few hundred of Black Antars and Bolas preparing for battle. It was clearly a match far beyond the abilities of two unicorns, two elves, and one centaur. “Silly brother! Did you think that I would go into battle with you without bringing Dag’s loyal arm!” said Boui as he guarded the children. Suddenly, the beast dragon blew his smelly, fiery breath towards us, but the flames only pushed us back a few steps. Within a few moments I heard more thundery foot-steps, these were coming from our direction. I looked high upon the mountain. I heard a welcoming sound of a blow-horn. It was Ballou the witch with her blow-horn sounding the alarms of battle. I looked behind me. I saw Molas’ carrying elves on their backs gathering on the bank of the river. Soon we had an army of Molas’ and elves ready for battle. This was now an equal match for war. We prepared to strike at Dag and Boui. The suns and moon were ever so close that the light reflected against the sky dark orange, yellow, and blue. On one side, it is a quest for peace and harmony. On the other side, it is a fight for oppression, slavery, and domination. It was now time for me to use all my fighting skills to take out my only brother. It was also time to rescue the children and save the land of Noal from terror and destruction. I lunged forward to take on Boui. Dag spread his wings and took flight high above the mountain. He wagged his long tail in the sky and blew his fire in the wind. Dane, Flowie, and Floria then marched with the other centaurs and elves to battle with the Black Antars and Bolas centaurs. Ballou used her staff to shoot lighting-bolts at Dag, but he flew so fast, that she missed several times. I fought Boui our horns sparking at every collision. Backward, forward, side-to-side, we moved against one another. I could not lose this fight. I could hear sword clashing, rocks hurling through the air, and spears whizzing in the wind as elves fought Black Antars, and the Molas’ battled the Bolas. I could sometimes hear the faint screams of death as the roar of war raged on. “Come brother, let’s see who’s the stronger of the two brothers”, said Boui as more sparks flew when our horns collided. I could feel my body weakening, but I was not ready to quit. Our heads pushed backwards when we butted together. “You were always jealous of me, my brother, but to take sides with Dag and the Bolas goes well beyond jealousy!” I added while strategically moving side way. “Come and get me, my brother!” Boui replied while doing the same. Meanwhile, Lackia and Dacky made their attempt to rescue the child. They bit and pulled on the ropes until the older child was free. The child helped rescue the baby elf, then the two unicorns took turns guarding the children as the older child held the infant elf in her arms. Ballou still threw lighting-bolts at Dag as he swooped up, down, and all around. With her long shawl blowing in the wind and her long staff summoning lighting-bolts from the clear sky, she finally hit the giant reptile in the neck. The dragon fell to the ground, but he was not dead. Dag roared and blew his fire around the battle field. Several Molas used their bows and arrows and swords to attack the now wounded Dag. The dragon gallantly jumped and roared as the wounded beast struggled to breathe air. Suddenly, Dag took one last flight at Ballou. The mighty dragon rose higher and higher above the mountain, then Ballou shot one last lightning-bolt at him. The dragon, Dag the almighty, fell to his death as he plummets on top of the mountain. The shock of Dag’s decent to the mountain distracted Boui and gave me enough time to stab him in the heart. With my heart bounding and my lungs trying to regain air, I watched Boui slowly fall to the ground. Boui was now dead, but not without sorrow. Boui was my brother, and I was saddened by taking his life. Unicorns are keepers of life. We do not fight other creatures for self-absorbed desires. We are simple and humble creatures that respect all life, so I will carry Boui’s death with me for the rest of my life. With Dag and Boui dead, the Bolas’ and Black Antars began fleeing into the now dark forest. The unification of the two suns and the moon left the sky bright red for a few minutes until the two suns settled down into the horizon. The war was over, but not without casualties. In the thickness of the dark, I spotted Dacky lying on the ground with several spears in his side. Dacky has passed into the shadow of death along with the many elves and centaurs of both races. The human child carrying the lost infant elf and Lackia stood beside him. I knew that this was the dark work of the Black Antars. Lackia stood above him with tears in her eyes. I believed that Dacky and Lackia were mates. But after the death of Dacky, I discovered that they were brother and sister. This made the loss a bit more difficult because I had also lost a brother in the battle. Unicorns take death especially hard because we hold all life sacred. “Did he say anything before he died?” I sadly asked while moving closer to Dacky. “He asked that we watch over his newborn.” Lackia softly replied. “What is the newborn’s name?” I asked. “Unich!” she replied. Just then, Flowie and Gloria came to pick up the lost elf. It was nice to see a bit of joy in the mist of sadness. They held the infant ever so tightly as we gathered to enjoy the reunion. Ballou also joined the group for celebration and mourning of life and death. “What’s the newborn’s name?” she asked. “Snor”, Gloria replied with gleams in her eyes. We all knew each other’s name, but not the name of the human child. “What’s your name young child?” I asked while approaching her. “Cathy, my name is Cathy”, she softly said while brushing her gentle hands on my face. “Nice to meet you, young Cathy”, I responded. “We must get you home soon, young one”, Ballou added as she put her arm around the child. The group gathered their belongings and prepared for the journey home. I took one more look at the sea of death. Both the Molas and Bolas had retreated back to their homes. I will never return to this valley of death. My energy comes from the living, not the dead. I am eager to return home to rest, for the years and the battle are beginning to wear down my body. I will return to enjoy the comforts of home and the beauty of Noal.