Darius pursed his lips and lugged his gigantic body up. “Watch and listen,” he said. His large feet shaking the ground as he moved, Darius plodded to the edge of the mud, and placed one foot forward. When the other three followed, he transformed, floating, yet at the same time walking as though a spirit.
Azaria’s jaw hung. “How did you do that?”
“Simple. I was one with my shadow,” Darius said as though nothing unusual happened. “You weren’t. You were imitating what you perceive a shadow to be.”
“But ... I –”
“Try again,” said Darius.
“But –”
“Just try again!” Darius’s voice was firm.
Azaria let go. His eyes glazed, and he stepped into the mud, this time with his spirit. His body felt hollow and his mind was as silent as the stars. Feeling breathless as though he had lost matter, he began to glide. He moved with ease, stepping forward several steps, no sound – just he and his shadow. Elation filled him.
I’m doing it! I’m really doing it!
His heart beating fast, he quickened his pace only to hear the dreaded sound again – splitch-splotch. He hurried to the other side, spun about, and stared. There were a few hoof prints there, but most of them were missing.
“Darius? he cried, his voice booming with excitement. “I did it for a few steps, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.” The dinosaur smiled so wide all his large molars showed. “And now you must continue to practice this until you can do it instantly. And once you can, you will be ready to save your herd.”
Azaria gladly obeyed Darius, practicing for days. At the end of the week, he had mastered the near impossible skill. “I’m pretty good now, right?” he asked, his chest puffing out.
Darius lowered his head to Azaria’s height. “Yes, you’ve done well, but now it’s time for you to leave.”
Startled, Azaria took a step back. “What?” he asked.
“You must leave now,” Darius repeated.
“But, I don’t feel like I’m ready,” he said. “I know I haven’t always been polite, and that you were just trying to help, but I’ve been scared – really.”
“Azaria, you must leave now,” Darius repeated again, his voice growing urgent.
“But, what if Ishmael is too strong, and I go back to find them all dead?” Droplets of sweat beaded his forehead.
“Your enemy has already been defeated. Ishmael has human foes too. When you return, you’ll find your friends have been freed and reunited,” he said. “But you must leave now; otherwise you may be too late. The herds are very angry and there’ll be violence against the humans if you don’t stop them. And if the unicorns attack the humans, they’ll destroy your species. So go now. You’re needed.”
Azaria stood undecided for a moment, and then broke into a canter. He sped up a knoll, but paused momentarily to call to his friend. “Good-bye, Darius. I’ll be back soon, I hope.”
“Good-bye, my good friend,” Darius replied.
Chapter Eighteen
The Return
The day had turned somber when Azaria arrived at dusk. A heavy black cloud hung over the valley and the skies threatened to burst. He stood camouflaged on a ridge, watching the unicorns hovering together – something was terribly wrong.
“It’s a done deal,” growled Nathaniel, facing off Polaris. “We’re attacking the creatures-that-walk-on-two-legs tonight.”
“No, Nathaniel! Violence is not the way of the unicorns,” said Polaris, his voice strained.
“This is a new era, old stallion,” neighed Zackary from beside Nathaniel. “You’re not the one who sat locked in by the tied trees day after day wondering if you’d live or not. Every time that sun rose, we wondered if that would be the day we’d die and every time it set, we thanked the heavens we were still alive.” Zackary bared his teeth. “I don’t ever want to live through that again. It’s time we did something!”
“B-but at least wait until Azaria comes back,” Polaris stammered.
How shrunken Father looks. So old. I hope I’m not too late.
“Azaria is dead!” roared Nathaniel. “Can’t you understand that?”
“You don’t know that for sure,” said Polaris, moving back a step.
“A full moon has come and gone since we last saw him,” brayed Nathaniel. “He’s not coming back.”
Azaria spied Aurora standing close by, her jaw clenched in fear.
“No, tonight’s the night. It’s us or them. We’ll attack the creatures and kill them off,” insisted Nathaniel.
“I agree,” said Zackary, moving next to Nathaniel.
“But at least wait until the next full moon,” pleaded Polaris.
Nathaniel snorted in disgust and turned his back on Polaris. He lead the other young unicorns away, their fierce neighs ringing in a battle cry. “Not this time, old one,” he said, tossing a defiant glance back over his shoulder. “It’s time someone got something done.”
It’s now or never!
Azaria caught the wind and landed directly in Nathaniel’s path, his feet planted hard in the ground.
The unicorns whinnied in fright.
“It’s Azaria’s ghost!” screamed Jemmi.
“Oh, no! That’s all we need – to be haunted on top of everything else,” neighed Cassi.
The unicorns stood frozen until Jemmi finally whimpered, “Maybe he has a message for us.”
“Message, my hoof,” cried Azaria, a broad smile spreading over his face. “It’s me – Azaria!”
“Azaria?” Their eyes grew twice their size.
“But how can that be?” asked Aurora. “You just appeared before our very eyes. No one can do that. You must be a spirit.”
“No, mother. I’m like a spirit. Darius taught me how. Remember how he could hide and sneak up on us anytime even though he was huge?”
“Yes,” said Aurora.
“Well, that’s what he taught me.”
“What do you mean?” asked Polaris, his head tilted to one side.
“Like this.” Azaria disappeared, blending into the landscape.
“Where did he go?” cried Nathaniel, circling about, his eyes searching.
“Right here.” Azaria laughed as he reappeared.
“But you vanished,” Nathaniel said, his mouth hanging open.
“No, I merely camouflaged myself, and you can too.”
Azaria turned to Zackary. “Care to race?”
“I don’t have time for this nonsense,” grumbled Zackary pushing past him.
Azaria caught the wind, landing on the trail ahead of Zackary.
Zackary jumped back, and then looked behind him. “But ... no unicorn can run that fast,” he exclaimed, his anger turning to awe.
“You can if you’re the wind.” Azaria grinned from ear to ear. “Now watch. This is the best part.”
He glided through a muddy stretch of trail while the others watched and listened.
“But there wasn’t a sound,” exclaimed Gaelan. “And no prints ... what?”
Azaria faced the herd. “It’s called the shadow-walk. I can teach all of you how to do this if you follow me. Then we’ll have a much better chance of survival.”
“But we’ve made our plans,” said Zackary, his voice losing its edge.
“Zackary, we’ve known each other since we were colts. Have I ever led you astray?” asked Azaria.
The angry unicorn’s expression faded, and he shook his head.
“Anger and hate begets more anger and hate. Come with me and I’ll show you another way. We’ll become shadow unicorns and defeat Ishmael together.”
The young unicorns exchanged glances, the tension melting away.
“Okay, I’m willing to try,” said Zackary, seeming more like the old Zackary from days gone by.
“Okay, I will too.” Nathaniel snorted. “But if it doesn’t work, we attack the creatures.”
“And, by the way, they’re called humans,” Azaria said. “Darius told me.”
“Humans?” said Aurora. “Then humans it is.”
“When can we begin?” asked Polaris, looking relieved.
“Immediately,” said Azaria. “Darkness is falling. We’ll travel all night to Darius’ valley. And there we’ll start.”
The journey was long and hard, but when they arrived in the bountiful valley, Darius was there to greet them. Joy and hope ran through the herd as they reunited with their friend and wept tears of happiness.
The training began that very day. Azaria was a good teacher and had learned his lessons from Darius well. He taught the old and the young while Darius himself taught the vigilantes. By the next full moon, they were ready.
Chapter Nineteen
The Deception
Frustration swept through Ishmael as he prepped his cronies to ambush the unicorns.
“I know what I saw,” said one of his men, breathing hard. “It was the ghost of a unicorn, and she was standing right next to where her bones lay!”
“Ridiculous.” Ishmael waved the idea away. “There are no such things as ghosts.”
“But I swear I saw the mare in the fog. She was beckoning me. I yelled and ran as fast as I could to get away!” The man’s voice trembled.
“Did she follow you?” asked one of the other men, twisting his rope nervously around his fingers.
“No, but I just know something’s going to happen. I think she was trying to warn me,” replied the first man.
“I’ve heard of others who have seen her too,” someone else cried.
“Maybe we shouldn’t go,” said one of the other men, his voice pitched high.
Ishmael knew he had to do something soon, or he would lose his men to superstition. His fortune had dwindled, and he was desperate to harvest more unicorn horns. Without the help of his men, his plans to take the healing powder upriver to the next town would die.
“It’s just a trick of the mist.” Ishmael shook his head. “There’s been so much talk, that you’re imagining things.”
“I know what I saw if the gods be my witnesses,” the man insisted, his eyes wide with fright.
Desperate, Ishmael made a quick decision.
“Okay, okay. I know you’re all scared, but if you come with me, I’ll give each of you a cut of the healing powder when the job is done.”
His offer was met by momentary silence, and then one by one, the men broke into toothy smiles, mumbling their agreement.
“Let’s go,” Ishmael ordered, leading his men to the saddled horses.
The men mounted their steeds, falling behind Ishmael in the fading light.
They rode in silence, hoping to surprise the unicorns. The setting sun painted the sky a golden orange while the birds returned squawking from their feeding grounds to roost in their nests for the night. They had been riding for about twenty minutes when Ishmael spied the unicorns grazing from afar.
“There they are!” he said, keeping his voice low. He whipped his horse into action, his heart pounding. The men followed close behind.
Ishmael could almost taste the victory, as they galloped along. But as they got closer, the unicorns melted into the landscape.
He pulled up his horse, his men nearly catapulting into him from behind.
“Did you see that?” cried one of the men. “They’re gone. Just like that.”
“A trick of the light,” Ishmael muttered. “Those large stones just looked like unicorns grazing.” He scrutinized the land, scanning left and right. “Let’s keep riding,” he said at last. Spurring his horse forward, he searched in the dwindling light, and then froze. Five lengths ahead of him stood Azaria, snorting and puffing. Ishmael sprang into action, but the unicorn disappeared.
“Where did he go?” cried one of the cronies, his voice shaking.
The men searched about, frantic.
“Follow its tracks,” ordered Ishmael, squeezing his horse’s sides.
“There’re no hoof prints,” cried one of the men. “It’s gotta be a ghost!”
Ishmael descended his mount to examine the earth.
“Look,” hollered another one of the cronies, pointing.
There, floating before them again, beckoning and whinnying in mocking neighs, was Azaria.
“I was right. They’re spirits!” one of the men yelled. “It’s the ghosts of all those unicorns Ishmael slaughtered! I’m getting out of here!” He spun his horse around, whipping it into a gallop, the others close behind.
“Wait, you fools. They’re not ghosts, I tell you. They’re just unicorns!”
Ishmael let out a frustrated huff, and then dug his heels in his mount’s sides, steering it in the direction of the unicorn. The horse reeled and tried to stampede with the others. Ishmael yanked the reins. The animal twisted and lost its balance, throwing Ishmael from the saddle. Ishmael landed in a heap, and lost consciousness. Several minutes later, he awoke to the furious hoof beats of his horse as it galloped away. He sat up slowly, catching his breath, and gazed to where the unicorns had disappeared. The colours of the sunset had faded and with it the light, but there in the growing shadow stood the herd of unicorns, whinnying with glee.
“Spirits, my eye,” he said with a menacing tone.
Chapter Twenty
The Hoodlums
Two full moons had passed since their triumph against Ishmael and his cronies, and though Azaria and Gaelan remained wary, the young renegade unicorns began to show signs of cockiness.
“That was so funny that night. You were right, Azaria. They’ll never catch us again,” Zackary brayed as half-chewed grass fell from his full mouth.
“Yeah, remember Ishmael’s men?” Nathaniel guffawed. “They were so scared.”
“I know. They ran so fast and never even looked back.” Zackary hoo-hawed, more chewed food dropping onto his white coat.
“I’m glad you tried it Darius’ way,” said Azaria. “If you had attacked the humans, it would have never ended.”
“Yeah, well … whatever.” Nathaniel rolled onto his back and paddled his hooves in the air, scratching his back against some stubbly grass.
“Hey, guess what, guys. I heard some of the mares are with foal,” Gaelan announced, smiling. “Now our herds will grow again.”
“Mmmm,” mumbled Zackary between bites.
“Yeah, I heard Aurora is expecting. You’ll have a little brother or sister soon, Azaria.” Gaelan raised his brow, his lips pressed together in a congratulatory grin.
“Yup. And next thing you know, we’ll be the ones choosing mates,” Azaria replied.
Something in the woods snapped. Azaria swung his head around, but saw nothing.
“Yeah, I noticed Jemmi’s gotten to be quite the mare, eh?” Gaelan winked.
“And did you get a look at the mane on Cassi? What a filly!” Zackary brayed.
“Not for me,” said Nathaniel, rolling over onto his stomach. “I’ve got better things to do.”
“Yeah, right. Like what?” asked Azaria.
“Ah, you know ... stuff,” he said off-handedly, rising back up to his feet.
As if on cue, Zackary piped up, his eyes bright with mischief. “Hey, Gaelan, a bunch of the guys were thinking of going into town tonight to scare the humans. Wanna come?”
“I’m in for sure.” Nathaniel nodded.
“Not a good idea, guys,” warned Azaria, giving Zackary a piercing look. “Ishmael’s a lot smarter than you think. I say we stay far from the town, keep them believing we’re spirits.”
“Oh, they’ll think we’re spirits all right,” said Zackary tearing off more grass to chomp on while talking. “I have no intention of spending time inside the tied trees again.”
“You mean the fence, Zackary. That’s what Darius called it.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“No, seriously, Zackary, these humans are dangerous. I wouldn’t go anywhere near ...” Again Azaria heard a snap. He scanned the woods. A moving figure caught his eye.
“Human! Camouflage!” he hissed.
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The unicorns blended into the landscape, barely breathing, until they heard running steps retreat.
Azaria was the first to transform back. “I don’t like the looks of that,” he said to Gaelan. “We’d better warn the others.”
“I agree. Let’s go!”
The young unicorns galloped through a scarcely used path, Nathaniel and Zackary trailing behind, guffawing and belching as they went. When they found the other unicorns, Azaria flew to his father’s side and recounted the story.
“I’ve been feeling like we’re being watched for a while now, and I don’t like it,” he finished.
“Neither do I. Sounds like Ishmael’s up to no good and he’s getting too close. I’ll gather up the herd tonight and hide them in the grey forest. The humans never go there,” said Polaris. “I think they think it’s haunted.”
Azaria thought of the skeleton of forest that still stood as a dismal reminder of the fireball. “Okay, Father.”
That night, as the moon rose and the jackals’ howls filled the air, the unicorns lay low in the shadows of the dark and foreboding trees, like phantoms drifting in and out of the underworld. All was quiet except for hushed whisperings and the odd soft steps on the soil.
After a time, Azaria grew restless and sought out Gaelan.
His friend stood alone, mesmerized by the moon. “Remember the night of the fireball?” he said. “It was a night like this we all sang with the jackals. How young we were.”
“Yes, I remember. And we played with other foals in the water? Remember when Nathaniel and Zackary ...” Azaria stopped in mid-sentence. “Speaking of Nathaniel and Zackary, where are those two idiots?” He glanced around.
“I don’t know,” said Gaelan, scanning the surrounding white skeletons of trees. “And where are the other young males from the other herds?”
The Legacy Page 9