Unicorn Lost

Presents

I	'm hungry," said one of the chipettes, with the weary, cranky voice of an overly exhausted child.

"My feet hurt," added another, sitting down promptly in the middle of the path and throwing a pebble at one of the butterflies circling around Florence's head.

"Here, child--don't do that!" their mother insisted, rushing over to clasp her baby's paw between both of hers. The anguish on her face was palpable. "We're in strange territory, my darling...there's no telling what you might alert by the slightest misstep!"

"I wanna go HOME!" the youngster snapped, snatching back her paw. "I never asked to come on any stupid Quest! And who are they? They're not the boss of ME!"

Her mother shot a sidelong glance at the ferret Queen, who was chuckling softly.

"Kits," the Queen sighed.

"They're not always this difficult, Your Highness," said the chipmunk mother, digging in the pockets of her bathrobe, hoping to find some scrap of food to satisfy the growlings in her children's bellies. "They're actually very good children...most of the time." She glanced at Jeanette, who was quietly polishing her torch, to rid it of every vestige of wolverine pawprint. Jeanette's lip was curled and she had to hold it very close to her nose, for lacking her glasses she was at a disadvantage.

"Children are what they are," said the ferret queen. She tried not to let the chipmunks see the bit of drool that had sprung into her mouth at the thought of plump young chipmunks fattened on sweet acorns. She was, after all, their Queen and above such barbaric notions.

Florence suddenly appeared. "Can we get moving again?" she asked, stooping over. "I'm not comfortable being out in open country like this."

"Can we ride the horsie?" asked the youngsters, eyes wide and bright. Florence was about to protest, but Kathy stepped in.

"Of course they can," she said, with a meaningful look at Florence. "I think ALL of the small fry should climb aboard."

"But...," Florence began, her whiskers twitching at the indignity.

"Look--I ain't a real Unicorn, and we'll move much faster if we do it at my pace, rather than theirs," she explained. Florence sighed, and then began to lift the others onto the unicorn's back, one after the other, until all were seated astride the Unicorn.

"Now I know she's not a real Unicorn," said the Queen, with a smirk at the mother of the chipmunks.

"Virgin can be taken to mean innocent too," Jeanette piped up, as her mother cast her a scandalized look.

"Where'd you hear that?"

Jeanette rolled her eyes. "Oh, Mother!" she sighed, as her sisters giggled. With that, Florence and Kathy resumed walking, a little faster now that they did not have to measure their strides to those of the smaller creatures. They disappeared around the bend in the road, just as a winded little skunk and a small copper-colored dragon staggered up the long rise behind them.

"Wait!" Kamida gasped, but her voice would not carry against the wind rising from the east. "Wait! I have the s...sword." She drooped. The tip of Jeanette's sword had been carving a gouge in the dirt for some time now.

Pence looked at his mistress in confusion. "Do you want to ride on my back, my dear?" he asked. With uncertainty, he added, "I could maybe catch up to them."

Kamida shook her head, and sat down heavily in the path. "No. No, your legs aren't much longer than mine." She rubbed at the bracelet which was paining her. "I guess you could carry the sword, though."

Pence eagerly held out his paw for the weapon, but before Kamida could pass it to him, a spark of green energy leaped from the jewel in the pommel and singed the dragon's palm. Pence yelped and stuck his paw into his mouth, scowling.

"Dragon-killing sword," Kamida murmured, using it as a crutch to rise. "Sorry, Pence." Suddenly something in the dirt caught her eye, and Kamida stooped to pick it up. It was like a shooting-marble, only it was of a luminous blue tint, and strangely heavy.

"What's that?" asked Pence, bending near--but mindful of the sword.

Kamida turned it around in her hands. "I don't know--OH!" She dropped it and reeled back in alarm, into Pence's scaley chest.

"What's wrong?" the dragon demanded. Kamida ground the heels of her paws into her eyes, shaking her head, trying to erase the evil vision she had seen in the stone's glowing depths.

"We must catch up with the others!" she murmured, setting off with determination. "They're in terrible danger! We must hurry!"

-page oo28-
written by Nightstar.

Copyright and Credit:
  · Florence from "Freefall" © Mark Stanley.
  · Magic Gardener © Hortmage.
  · Jeanette © Jeanette Isabelle.
  · Kathy from "Carry On" © Kathy Garrison.
  · Kamida © Guest #1.
  · ToraKiyoshi - Writer.
  · White Pony from "Cross Time Cafe" © S.Kidwell.
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