Chapter 3 - I didn't know
The American walked along behind the others, unusually quiet, his head down and his hands in his pockets. Wheeler couldn't understand why the others could see the unicorn when he couldn't, but mostly he was worried about the change in Linka since it's arrival. What did I do? It's not my fault I can't see the damn thing!
He'd tried to speak to her at first but the most he'd managed to get out of her was, "You are spooking the unicorn Wheeler, I do not think it likes you, please do not walk so close."
They came to a fork in the road and moved to follow the sporadic trail of rubbish, but Wheeler bumped into Gi as she came to an abrupt halt. "What's going on?"
"Our new friend does not want us to go this way." Kwame replied, "He is blocking our path."
Wheeler pushed passed his team-mates, seeing Linka jerk out of the way as her four-legged friend moved to avoid him. "Tell him to mind his own business." He called back, not stopping to see if they were following him and quickly turning a bend in the road so that he was out of sight.
"Go with him Kwame." Linka whispered urgently, her voice full of concern, as the unicorn still refused to let her pass. The African nodded and headed after their fiery companion as did Gi, while Ma-Ti remained to help Linka soothe their friend.
Around the corner, the road rose steeply to a rocky out cropping, which Wheeler was currently crouched behind. Turning at the sound of his friends approach, Wheeler put his index finger to lips, indicating that they should be silent, and then gestured for them to come around behind him. Following their friends directions, the two planeteers crept quietly around to peer over the rocks.
Below them there was a large encampment where part of a wood had been cleared to erect crude huts. A lake close beside it was an unhealthy dirty green and at one side, a trash pile was stacked up against more rocks, and slowly creeping back into what was left of the wood. The temporary village was teaming with life, though there was currently no sign of the eco-villains.
Wheeler shook his head at the destruction and signalled for the others to follow him back down the trail but when they reached the other two planeteers, it was Kwame that filled them in.
"How are we going to fix this?" Linka asked in alarm. "There is only the five of us and without our powers…"
Gi nodded, she had tears in her eyes, "… and without Captain Planet."
The others paled, none of them had thought of that, but of course if they couldn't use their powers they couldn't summon their champion either.
"Are we sure our powers wont work at all here?" Wheeler asked.
"Da, I tried mine while you were gone." The Russian planeteer replied, though she didn't look directly at him.
Suddenly the majority of the planeteers turned to look down the other fork, "What now?" Wheeler asked, sounding less cheerful by the minute.
"I think he wants us to follow him." Linka replied moving forward.
Kwame followed her causing Wheeler to protest, "Oh so now we're taking directions from Linka's imaginary friend?"
"I think you mean 'invisible', though he is not invisible to us and Da, we are going to take directions from him because he has already tried to save us from those thugs so he obviously knows his way around." Linka sounded angry and she obviously wasn't going to stop. "You can do what you like."
Gi rolled her eyes, "Don't pay any attention to her Wheeler, I don't know what's gotten into her today. We might as well follow, he may know some people that could help us." The American shrugged and fell in beside the water planeteer, grateful for her thoughtfulness even though he didn't voice it.
Half an hour later the planeteers reached the foot of another cliff and the entrance to a dark tunnel. The entrance wasn't obvious until they were on top of it, in fact if they hadn't been led there, they would probably have missed it. Their new friend disappeared inside.
"Wait a minute guys!" Wheeler called out, "Tell me you're not going to just follow some alien creature inside a dark tunnel to god knows where?! I know you aren't too hot on sci-fi films but even you must realise what a lousy idea this is."
"He is our friend, I can tell." Linka said forcefully, not quite shouting "I trust him!"
The fire planeteer glared, his voice rising to match hers, "Invisible alien horses you'll trust on first sight but you still wont listen to me? Thanks a lot!"
"Perhaps I have more reason to trust him!" she shouted back.
Wheelers face was beginning to match his hair by this point, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Linka suddenly deflated, her voice now no more than a whisper, "It does not matter… we have a job to do." She turned away and moved quickly after the unicorn before anyone could voice any more objections.
Wheeler stood there staring after her for a few moments and then followed the wind planeteer into the cave, his jaw was set and he was refusing to meet the others gazes. He emerged a few minutes later into bright sunlight and had to shade his eyes until they re-adjusted. They were at the top of a large and very green valley, which was mostly empty fields with a river running through the centre, but there was a small, picturesque village to one side. Linka was already making her way down.
The others exited the tunnel behind him and after their eyes recovered they gasped, "There are so many of them!", "Oh how beautiful!", "There must be hundreds, oh look at the babies!"
The American groaned inwardly, Oh great! Maybe I better just stay up here where I wont get in the way…
"Come on Wheeler!" Gi said, grabbing his arm and pulling him down the slope. He sighed and gave in.
The unicorns were curious but they all kept their distance from the planeteers, except for Linka's friend, who remained at her side. The Russian had waited for her friends at the bottom of the valley but she was refusing to make eye contact with any of them.
As they approached the village they all saw a group of figures waiting to greet them. Shorter than the average human they were nonetheless humanoid and to Wheelers disappointment, their ears were rounded. A woman with long white hair stepped forward from the small group. "Welcome friends!" She smiled and opened her arms wide, "The Valde'cornu thank you for rescuing one of their number and have asked us to prepare some refreshments for you, please follow me."
Linka's friend ran off to join his family at that point and the planeteers followed the old woman into a large communal hut, her people smiling and greeting them as they came. Once they were sat around a long table, one of the younger humanoids served them with some sort of salad and a sweet tasting juice.
"Thank you, it has been a long day for us and we are grateful for your hospitality." Kwame said, assuming the role of leader. "Please tell us how we should address you?"
The white haired woman smiled, "I am Elder Nivea. Kri'an told us that you are not with the others? The ones that come to destroy."
Kwame explained about the planeteers and that they had come to stop the others. "Unfortunately the abilities Gaia gave to us do not seem to work here, we need to find another way to make them leave before we can clean up the mess."
The Elder nodded, "We will help you my friends, as will the Valde'cornu."
Gi spoke up at this point, "How did they tell you about us? Are you telepathic?"
Nivea smiled and nodded again, "In a fashion, they see our memories and can pass images to us if they choose. They do not speak as we do but we have learned to communicate with them in a very effective manner."
"And kri'an, he is the uni.. er Valde'cornu that we freed?" Linka asked.
As the girls plied the Elder with more questions about the people and their companions, Wheeler slipped outside. Moving to the edge of the village he sat down on the grass and stared out over the empty, or not so empty, valley.
"Do you want to talk my friend?" Kwame's voice made Wheeler jump but he didn't look around.
Sighing and resting his head on his arms – which were propped on his knees – the American said, "What did I do? Why is she so mad at me for not being able to see them? Everything has been going so well lately I thought… Guess I was just being dumb as usual."
"No my friend… Linka is just… you er don't know the legends do you?" The skin on Kwame's face was darkening as he tried not to blush, this was not a conversation he ever thought he'd be having.
"Legend? As in fairy story?" Wheeler pulled a face, "Give me a break man!"
Kwame shook his head, deciding to get it over with as quickly as possible, "Legend has it that only virgins can see unicorns Wheeler. You are the only one of us that can't see them, that is why Linka is upset, though why she should assume you were I don't know."
Wheeler was annoyed though whether it was at Linka or himself he wasn't sure, "So I was supposed to know I was going to meet her? I didn't think anyone like her even existed!"
"Give her time to calm down my friend, she will get over it." Kwame placed a hand on the American's shoulder, "It is jealousy."
Wheeler shook his head, "More like another reason I'm not good enough for her."
"Do not be so hard on yourself, Linka cares a great deal about you." He smiled, "If she did not she wouldn't be mad, would she?"
Wheeler smiled back but he still looked sad, "Thanks Kwame, I hope you're right 'cos if she wont just forgive me… well there's no way I can fix it is there?"
