--BRAND NEW AND SHINEY, REVISED AND MODIFIED! Hope you like the update! (Includes all chapters!) :) (Nov. 6/06)-

- Reason for revision: I can't stand my own mistakes. And I realized there were people who wanted more, so… well, the beginning should at least be of more quality!

Now at the end of all the re-submitted chapters I will outline any revisions to the actual plot I made, so you don't have to re-read everything if you do not want to. ;) -

Authoress' Notes: Okay, sorry for the long wait, but I am now posting the next chapter. (I was busy enjoying my summer) anyway, I hope you like it, and if you have any thoughts or constructive criticism please leave a review. Unless criticism is presented in a rude way, I definitely need it! P It always helps to make the story better. Please read and review after your finished!

Thanks,

Saber88

A Warrior's Tale

By: Saber88

()()()()()()(Chapter Two)()()()()()()

Blinded Misfortune

Loud trills of bird song awakened the black stallion as he shifted his numb figure. Ebony hair reflected the morning light as dainty droplets of dew clung to his cold nose and eyelashes. The unicorn shook its head and gasped as excruciating pain jolted through his skull.

Gritting his teeth, the beast allowed his weary head to flop back down – rather more carefully. Opening his eyes, the plainsdweller's vision was blurry, barely able to make out the contrast of light and dark. Very slowly his sight cleared enough to look at his surroundings. The unicorn lay on a large rock slab about an inch high and there were two parallel walls running on either side of him, forming a cave. Small groves had been dug into the walls and were filled with a wide variety of herbs and berries.

"Alma's hoofs!" The stallion cursed, invoking the ancient name of the goddess of the sun and moon. Dragging his sore eyes once again over the cave, he studied each nook and cranny with care.

The male's ears abruptly perked at the sound of approaching equines with an accompaniment of voices too. Straining his ears, he caught a bit of what was said as the morning breeze carried the gruff exchange.

"Nah, he'll be fine."

"Is he perhaps from the Hallow Hills? Surely not one of the renegades?"

"Show the proper respect for the plainsdwellers, Vex," a deeper masculine voice said almost sternly.

"Maybe he's bringing an urgent message," came a new and distantly familiar vocalization.

There was a loud chuckle. "Perhaps, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. He could be just another unicorn that has decided to join the warrior circle."

"But that's so boring!" cried the Rude Voice, as the black stallion thought of it after its insult to the plainsdwellers.

The weakened unicorn jerked himself from his listless drifting. They were talking about him!

Who were these unicorns… or other beasts for that matter?

He needed to get away…

And fast.

Stumbling awkwardly, the equine stood, barely supported by his wobbly legs. Keeping his head low, he moved toward the entrance. He gave a gruff nicker and decided he'd have to bolt for it. What were the chances of someone catching a such a swift unicorn as himself…?

…Well, an injured one…

…One who hasn't run in how long, exactly?

"Never mind! Stop wearing down you own nerves," the black unicorn said with a mental smack.

Aiming his powerful bulk toward the entrance he prepared to charge through it, barreling over anything that dared to block his path to an uncertain freedom.

He pawed the turf with his raven black hoof, suddenly lunging forward, head down, ears pinned flat upon his skull. Of course, the large beast wasn't thinking rationally; he didn't know enough about his situation, and all his assuming would no doubt would pull him deeper into the mire of mystery.

Atrasi trotted alongside Vex as they followed the male unicorn healer. The group had been discussing the black stallion with the blood red mane, wondering whether he would have awakened yet.

Luckily, Atrasi and Vex's wounds were very minor compared to that of the black beast. It was the first day that the healer was going to allow the pair to see their savior.

Crrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaashhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Atrasi, Vex, and the young healer reared back at the booming sound, the whites of there eyes showing in terror as the watched, petrified, as the ebony unicorn burst out of the cave, knocking a hoard of rubble from the small, crumbling, entrance.

"Whoa!" screamed Atrasi, as she stumbled backward, pushed by her two friends. "What was that?"

"It seems as if… our friend… is awake…" neighed the dusty-gray healer slowly; unable to comprehend what had happened. "The poor thing's probably delirious."

Vex Looked after him nervously, and with a disturbing feeling of déju vu, she galloped off to call the warriors.

Just like she had nearly a moon had passed since they had been attacked by the Kanth.

One whole moon…

No wonder he felt confused.

Prince Dellex galloped around the Vale, summoning the best runners to his aid as he pursued after the panicking black stallion.

They needed to, after all, know at least this odd creature's name!

Breathing hard, he gave chase, gaining slowly on his unsteady quarry. Vex, who had been following the battle prince fell behind now, watching in wonder at the speeding unicorns.

Two mares and three stallions answered the prince's call, following him; they stormed through the Vale after the beast, snorting in frustration.

The race was on.

And he was winning.

The black stallions red mane whipped across his face as he fled from the Vale, in hope of getting away from the creatures chasing him.

What had he done wrong?

He cursed.

What was going on?

He hardly knew anything, let alone who these unicorns were, and he hardly recalled ever doing anything to make them angry.

So why did they chase?

The dark creature continued gamely on, the rising sun reflecting rainbow colours in his crimson mane, minutes passed, and even the with his heart and soul flowering into his legs, he could not keep the distance ahead of the warriors.

Eventually he could continue no farther. His breath caught agonizingly in his lungs as stumbled.

Won't they give up?

The stallion suddenly jolted forward, his fore-hoof got caught in a crevice in the dry, cracked ground. Swearing a bitter oath, he tried to get up, but his weary limbs wouldn't move and his efforts remained unrewarded.

The stallion laid there, bemused, and realized that the others would soon be upon him.

He mercifully lost consciousness.

Dellex saw the run-away stumble, and with a burst of new faith, he picked up speed. His companions did likewise.

But upon seeing the black unicorn unmoving, the Prince suspected the worst, dread settling heavily in his stomach.

When the garrison skidded to a stop got there, Prince Dellex approached slowly and prodded the black beast with his nose. He twitched; the stallion was coming around again, his sides heaving from the exertion his muscles had not experienced about a moon's time.

Atrasi was running behind the warriors, far behind that is. She whinnied her relief as the small troop slowed and she managed to catch up, barely winded. As one of the swiftest unicorns in the Vale, she would have been right beside the Prince and his warriors had she not been bombarded with rubble when the stallion broke the overhand on the healer's den, causing her to fall back.

Seeing that the strange male unicorn was laying on the ground, Atrasi got steadily closer to the huddled group while her anxiousness grew.

The black unicorn awoke to see equine faces looming over him. He wuffled softly, confused and bewildered yet again. A young one came and bent down by him

That red mare, he…

He remembered.

Everything.

Every single detail.

His features hardened and he said in a cold voice, frigid enough to drop the leaves from every green tree in the Vale.

"How long has it been since the attack little one?"

Authoress notes: Yes, I agree it was a little hurried, but I wasn't in the mood to take my time, I had to get my ideas down.

Oh, by the way, yes, I did notice some of those little spelling and punctuation errors, s'ry 'bout that, I was also… err... -.-() kinda rushing…. Never mind.

Anyway, please read&review:)

(I just re-updated this chapter… hopefully catching all those little annoyances…) (I can't believe it's like… what? EIGHT MONTHS?????) I'm a pathetic individual. v.v

I'll continue the adventure right away! Keep a look out! ;)

-EDIT----

Just for a bonus, I'm adding titles to the chapters now, too. Bête noire means 'black beast' in French, for the records. I once had a cat named that…

Erm. Just fixed all my errors and re-phrased stuff so it sounded better. I expanded on some vocabulary, but otherwise nothing major changed from the old chapter.

Character/Creature Reference:

Atrasi (Ah-tr-a-see)– Beautiful red roan mare. Daughter of Klorn and Pasch.

Prince Dellex (Dell-ex) – Prince of the Vale, not king because his mother still lives, though his father has been deceased for a few years. Light brown with white spots. Son of Koran and Leip.

Vex (Veh-ex) – A quarrelsome white mare, Atrasi's shoulder friend. Daughter of Quin and Sevorth.

I like my signiture,

Saber88 P