The Pool



Lell flopped down where she was by the trees and fell asleep.

In the morning the other unicorns went for her but she refused to get up. In the end it took Aljan's threatening to make her move.

Walking as slowly as she dared, Lell looked back for one more glimpse of the small stand of trees and saw Cimarron there. As soon as she saw him she turned her back on him, as he had turned his back on her.

When the herd was an hour from the Summer Sea they entered a forest. After thirty minutes of walking around trees they reached the other side. The view was beautiful, even Lell noticed. the setting sun turning the beach to golden. Orange and yellow and white waves pounded the shore, reflecting the sun's glow. Every golden hair on Lell's body was radiating with light.

She couldn't help it, she looked back, and there he was, hiding from her in the shadows of the forest. Looking determinedly away, she saw the other unicorns walking down to the beach to prepare for sleep. She walked to the very end of the beach, so far from the other unicorns that they were specks in the distance. She lay down and turned her head to look at the white feather glowing in her mane. In a moment of frustration she grabbed the feather, ripped it out of her mane, and shredded it. Leaping up, she moved a few feet away from the shredded feather and collapsed, crying her heart out on the beach.

Soft foot falls alerted her to someone's presence, but she was too upset to care. A heavy form gracefully lowered behind her and suddenly there was a large warmth at her back. Cimarron lay his neck over hers, encouraging her to put her head down and sleep.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have turned on you, I just . . . it was too much to bear at once. I'm so sorry."

Lell was still crying but she quieted and slowly drifted off to sleep.



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



In the morning Lell awoke to a brilliant sunrise, but no Cimarron. Was last night a dream? she wondered to herself. Then she caught sight of her mane. Braided in tightly was a new white feather, glowing against the gold and amber of her mane. If he left the feather for me to remember him by, then I don't want it, she thought.

Standing up, Lell stretched her legs and wandered back down the beach. Almost all the unicorns were gone, all having paired off the night before. Even Jan and Tek were gone. A few young mares and stallions her age wandered about, not knowing what to do. None of them gave Lell a second glance. One stallion kept trying to catch the eye of a mare, to no avail. Another just frolicked about. The mares stood together talking.

Lell walked to the edge of the forest, wondering whether to go in. She figured there was stuff happening in there that she didn't want to know about.

Wandering down to the other end of the beach, she saw there was a small bay where the water was clear and the sand was white, even under the water. No plants grew in it and no fish swum there. Lell walked to the edge. She cautiously stuck a hoof in. Nothing happened. Feeling bolder she put another hoof in. The water was cool and felt lovely on the hot summer's day. Lell walked the rest of the way in, until the water was up to her chest. She stuck her head under and pulled it right back up, snorting and laughing. She walked out of the water and shook off, then worried about what to do. She was tired and she wanted to take a nap, but the sand would stick to her coat and make an awful mess. Looking around, she saw that someone had made a huge bed of seaweed on top of the sand. Lying down gently, Lell made sure her tail was on the seaweed and fell deeply asleep.