"Strange, all day hunting and yet, we have seen no game," the ninja said.
"Aye...I dislike the feel of these woods. Creatures that live in a unicorn forest learn a little magic of their own in time. Mainly concern with disappearing," the older ninja replied.
"Unicorns? Don't tell me you believe in those fairy tails. Its a forest, like any other, no matter how unique."
"Then why do the leaves never fall here? Or the snow? Why is it always spring here? I tell you there is at least one unicorn left in the world, and as long as it lives in this forest, we'll find no game to hunt here."
The other one frowned but had to agree. "Let's turn around, find somewhere else to hunt."
"Alright." They were about to head out but the old man turned back. "Stay in your forest, your poor beast, this is no world for you. Stay here and keep the leaves green and your forest protected. And best of luck to you, for you are the last." They raced off, not seeing the white horse step out to look at them, nor the horn on its head.
'I am the last unicorn there is? The last?' The unicorn had been given a name long ago by a maiden he had shown himself to to help her when she was lost in his woods. He was Naruto, for the spiral grooves in his horn. 'Though it has been long since I last seen another of my kind, we cannot just all vanish. That...is impossible. Though we maybe killed, we can't all die. Can we?' Naruto tried to put it out of his mind and walked away, though the colt looked back. 'But then...where have the dragons gone? The hippogryphs that were once my friends? Am I not only the last of the unicorns, the last of the magical realm?' He bent down and drank from the stream. 'No, I can't be. Somewhere, they must be out there somewhere.'
—oo000oo—
Naruto walked through his forest, soothed by the winds, calmed by the sounds, unafraid. This was his home. He came to his favorite grass field and began to eat. After a few minutes, he heard something and raised his head, it sounded like crying. Looking around, he found the source not far. Moving over to it, he saw it was a maiden child. "...Why do you cry?"
She looked up startled, then confused, only seeing a horse. She looked away before doing a double take. "A horn...you have a horn..." She stood up, her tears forgotten. Raising her hand, Naruto leaned forward and touched it with the tip of his horn. "...Pretty," she said, her fingers moving down the horn, then petting his head.
"Why did you cry," Naruto asked again.
The girl looked at him amazed. "You spoke. Are...are you a unicorn?"
"I am."
She just looked him over, "You're lovely. Oh, I thought unicorns were supposed to show themselves to pretty, pure women. I'm not pretty." She looked away.
Naruto tilted his head, "Humans, so odd, so silly. They never know what they speak." He trotted around behind her and slipped his head between her legs and then her onto his back. "You are pretty, you are pure, child." He wanted to ask again but thought to try something else. "Who are you?"
"I'm Hyuuga Hinata, mister unicorn."
"A human once named me Naruto, after the spiral of my horn. Personally, I think she just liked ramen." Hinata smiled and giggled. "Ah ha! I knew I wasn't wrong, you can laugh. A clear sign of innocence and purity."
Hinata blushed. "...I was crying for my father. He is very mean to me." Naruto began to trot through the woods.
"Then stay, nymph child," he said before breaking into a gallop. Hinata held onto his mane, laughing. "Stay here if you wish."
It was another minute before she spoke. "You called me nymph, why?"
"Because you are," he replied and tilted his head when she turned red.
"I-I don't do those things!"
"What things? Does Nymph have a different meaning for humans?"
Her face went blank. "What did you mean?"
"A nymph is a forest spirit, a very beautiful one. They are also all female so they mate with a human to have offspring." Naruto came to a trot again and stopped by a stream, letting her slide off. "Look, see what I see." Naruto touched the water with his horn and ripples spread a moment then settled. Hinata looked again and touched her face. It was subtle, real subtle, but she could hardly believe that was her face though she knew it was. "See? In time, you will always look like that."
"I'm...pretty."
"You always were."
Hinata turned from the water back to Naruto. "Where are the others?"
"Others?"
"The stories, about the elves, the dryads, fairies, sprites, the others."
Naruto looked away, "They're gone." He stepped from one hoof to the other, looking at her excited. "But now, you're here, I'm not alone."