Where do unicorns go?
By Belldandy-sama
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Chapter six: Your pain is my pain
The four companions made their way in silence through the rugged forest, Tarynn leading the way through the thick under growth and over tree root, which most of them they had to jump over, sometimes at quite a height.
Dante looked up at where Trish sat comfortably on Sleipnir's back, "She's fainted again."
"She will be alright," the stallion replied. "She is just tired, that is all. Poison does that to you."
"How are those panthers poisonous? It's really weird."
"Let me tell you this, human," Sleipnir snorted as he stepped carefully over a small tree root, "This forest used to be beautiful, sun light used to flood through the trees, delightful flowers would grow everywhere and anywhere. The wild animals would uphold the law of the forest; they all lived together in perfect harmony."
"So they never killed?"
"Oh, they killed alright. They have to, they are carnivores. They have to kill to eat. But they were only allowed to take what they need, not what they want. Say if a leopard was hungry enough to eat two buck, but they only really needed one. One would be all they could take. The wolf clan were especially strict, they were very careful in the way they went about things. That is… until 'they' came."
"They?"
"The demons. They enslaved the animals under a powerful spell, they are the ones who have given the panthers their poison, allowed lower class demons into the forest and petrified Gaea, the great mother tree,"
"That was the big stony thing we were just at?"
"It was indeed. Without her, the forest will surely die, everything will die."
"…"
"Now that the demons have come, the birds have stopped singing, the animals think of nothing but bloodlust and the forest is covered in scars."
"…"
"You see now why we need your help so badly? If the forest were to die, the unicorns would have to leave and they would not stand a chance anywhere else. You have seen yourself what human greed can do."
"Yeah…" Dante sighed, "Yeah, I know what you mean. And I don't want any unicorns to die, even if they are a bit…" he glanced at Tarynn who was still striding in front of them, "Arrogant."
Sleipnir noticed his glance, "You will have to forgive Tarynn. He hates humans. And after the history of them, I cannot say I blame him."
"Yeah, you're probably right…"
"You did well acting to him like you did however, it shows your respect. He likes respect."
"I just couldn't help but to respect him. Even if I wanted to show him exactly what was going through my mind at that time I wouldn't be able to. Something stopped me."
"That does not surprise me, all humans that have looked upon him have acted in the same way – not that there are that many of them."
"Too scared to try and find 'em, eh?"
"Oh no, you see… Tarynn is the Lord of this forest. Every creature treats him with the utmost respect. The wolves howl a chorus to him as he passes, the lions bow before him…"
"I didn't think lions lived in forests."
"They do not. However it seems you still fail to understand me; this is no ordinary forest. You know this, it has unicorns in. And a forest with unicorns is a forest of magic."
"So there are lions here then?"
"To a degree, Fenririans."
"Fenririans?"
"White breed, blue manes. I doubt you have heard of them."
"No I haven't. Are there any dragons here?"
"There was…" Sleipnir shook his silvery mane, "Once. Only one, mind you. He was the Lord of this forest, but he was very old. He gave his status to Tarynn before he passed away. Tarynn had served him well, he deserved such a position."
"Is Tarynn old?"
"Well he is… and in some ways he is not. You see, like demons, unicorns have a much longer lifeline than of humans. He is, in humans years, no less than one hundred and thirty-six seasons. In unicorn years however, he is only around twenty seven years old."
"That it?"
"Yes."
"Where are we?" Dante asked, changing the subject completely. "I thought I heard a bird sing."
"Aah. We must be getting closer then."
"Closer to where?"
"Where else?" Sleipnir snorted in amusement. "The unicorns' glen."
His eyes widened at they stepped into a clearing and his heart skipped a beat. The clearing was unlike the rest of the forest, the clouds seemed to part and the sun shone brightly. It was quite simple; a patch of grass about thirty meters squared, a small stream running through the middle and a range of exotic plants growing everywhere.
"Wow…" Dante raised an eyebrow as they stepped out of the last of the undergrowth and into the sunny clearing, "Paradise found."
"The whole forest used to be like this…" Sleipnir sighed.
"Why does this bit look like it's been untouched?" Dante breathed the question as he attempted to take in the surroundings.
"The answer…" Sleipnir nodded away from him, "…Is over there."
Dante watched as Tarynn let out a shrill neigh and trotted over to a group of unicorns who were grazing by the stream.
"And they must be the rest of them, huh?"
"Correct. Alexa, Epona, Asreena, Kefira and Acorna. The other one Tahl, he's the only other male."
"And Tarynn and him don't fight?"
"They have no reason too. Why do you assume that?"
"Well, I was just thinking… wild horses fight over females, so I guess-…"
"Quiet!" Sleipnir ordered so sharply that Dante fell silent almost at once; "Listen. Never, never… call unicorns horses. Never."
"Why not?"
"They hate it!" Sleipnir snorted, "Call them horses to their faces and you might as well be dead for all you are worth in their eyes!"
"Are they really that bad?"
"You've had your warning." He stopped suddenly in the shade of a tree and leant down, allowing Dante to slide Trish from his back and gently place her on the ground.
"Careful," Sleipnir warned, "Here come the mares."
They trotted over in a big group, each one as beautiful as the one before. Dante couldn't help but notice that each and every one of them was unique. One of them had her mane in a big plait and her tail loose. One had smaller plaits in both her mane and her tail. Two of them wore ribbons; it wasn't quite what Dante was expecting.
"A human female…" one of them whispered to her companions, "How long has it been?"
"Years…" Another replied.
"Is she okay?" One with an exceptionally gentle voice, who turned out to by Kefira, "She doesn't look very good."
"She is just tired," Tarynn said with a snort, "We ran into neo-panthers at the Mother Tree, she was poisoned."
"You fixed her, I hope?"
"Of course."
"Good, because we all know what you're like with humans Tarynn."
There were mumbles of agreement amongst the other mares.
"Bah!" Tarynn snorted, turning towards the stream again and taking a long drink.
Kefira nosed gently at Trish who was still unconscious, "She's the most beautiful of all human mares I have ever seen."
Once again, mumbles of agreement.
"Let her alone," the stallion said suddenly, "You may speak with her when she has rested. Away ladies, away!"
The mares muttered amongst themselves and walked away with their heads in the air and their lionish tails flicking behind them huffily. Dante smiled to himself as they walked off; the books were right – unicorns were indeed very proud creatures. He looked to Trish, who stirred and seemed to curl in his arms. It was going to be a long wait.
(*** *** ***)
It was nightfall and the moon majestically rose over the forest, shining proudly in the cloudless sky.
Trish sighed and gazed up at it as its beauty shone off her pale face. She loved the night sky, she still remembered the nights when she used to fly freely through the crisp night air.
Looking to the left slightly, she realised that Dante was slowly making his way towards her position,
She raised her head as he approached with an almost nervous air which made her lips curl up with pity. After what had happened between them, she couldn't blame him that he was frightened. Her smile increased, frightened. Dante always battled so savagely against that word.
"Evenin'," he grunted, joining her.
She folded her arms and smiled again, "Well, hello Dante-sama."
"Don't call me that."
"Why not?"
"I'm not Japanese."
"Very well."
Nothing was said for a few minutes, until Dante finally broke the silence. "So uh… whatcha doin'?"
"I'm standing here talking to you. Well, I thought I would until both of us failed to say anything."
"…"
"…"
"……the unicorn's are pretty, huh?"
"Oh Dante," she laughed, "Is that the best you can come up with?"
"Hey, I'm serious!"
"Well then yes…" Trish looked away, the smile still evident on her moonlit face, "They're very beautiful."
"They like you well enough. They shy away from me, though."
"Well, you're male. It's nothing personal."
"I guess I shouldn't be offended then, what with you here to save me and all."
"You mock me Dante?" she teased, relaxing against the tree trunk lazily.
"No, I'm just trying to make a point."
"Are you really?"
He shuffled uncomfortably, "Yes."
"And what point is that, Dante-sama?"
"Heavens creatures don't really like me very much. I'm not holy enough for them. Holy, ha! The very word makes me shiver. Since when has anything holy ever come to New York? Until Sleipnir came along, the best thing we had that was 'holy' was a tooth fairy with a broken wing. Remember her?"
"Yup," Trish smiled brightly, "How could I forget her? She was lovely."
"She was irritating, she cried continuously."
"She'd lost her wand, give her a break."
"We found it again."
"True. You know, I miss her. She promised to come back and see us again."
"And she never did."
"Can we change the subject?"
"Okay, you choose."
"I guess…" she shuffled and smiled slightly, "I wanna thank you."
"Huh?" He looked surprised, "What for?"
"For saving my life, again."
He hung his head, "Trish, I done no such thing. If Sleipnir and Tarynn hadn't have come running then we both would be dead, you know that."
"I know, but if you hadn't have come to look for me then they never would have found us. You all worked together."
"…"
"I just hate it when you do 'that.'"
"Do what?"
"That! You know, pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!"
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"And one more thing! You always lead me on!"
Dante rolled his eyes, not this again.
"Don't you roll your eyes at me!" She snapped viciously, "Listen to what I have to say, I mean it!
"Shoot then."
"We've been together for mouths and we're still nothing but just good friends!"
He was silent for a few seconds, before sighing and shaking his head, "Not this again."
"You never give me a straight answer!" She snapped again, "It pisses me off Dante, if really does!"
Dante shrugged, "What's that noise?"
Trish bit her lip furiously; he was changing the subject again. However she swallowed her anger and answered, "It's the river. It gets a bit wider over there," she pointed to the bank a few meters away.
He passed her and walked over to it, brushing her hand slightly with his own as he did so. She glared after him, then followed, thinking there was nothing better to do.
Sitting by the waters edge, Dante watched as his reflection rippled gently in the cool water. It was such a beautiful night, one like he'd never seen before. He raised his head to look at the sky and shuddered as he felt Trish's hands on his shoulder.
"We don't get nights like this in New York do we?"
He shook his head in reply. "No, we don't."
"It's… kinda scary… those stars… isn't it?"
"I…" his voice rang off, "Yeah…"
She sat next to him on the grass and gazed, fixated, into the lake. "I've never seen a place so beautiful as this clearing. I wish we could stay here forever."
Dante didn't reply.
She bit her lip, suddenly concerned. "What's on your mind?"
He heaved a heavy sigh, like he had the whole weight of the world on his shoulders. "I don't know… I just feel… weird… sitting here, by the waters edge in a forest in the middle of nowhere. …with you."
She felt her heart skip a beat, "And…?"
"And I…" She felt his hand glide over hers and he turned his head to face her. "I…"
A feeling of excited sickness dripped to her stomach at the thought of maybe this was it. Maybe now, after leading her on all these times. Maybe this clearing had some effect on him, like it did to her.
His hand slipped away, "Never mind."
Trish growled and grit her teeth hard. He'd done it again. This was it, she couldn't take it anymore.
Sliding her hands to his shoulders she summoned all her strength and pushed him as hard as she could. Dante hit the lake with a splash as the freezing water hit him like a kick in the guts. He lurched in the water and, after a few seconds of trying to recover and work out whatever it was that hit him, he pulled himself to the surface, only to be met with the sound of maniacal laughter as Trish crouched in hysterics on the bank.
"You-!!" He gasped, but was suddenly over taken with water again. She laughed harder as his head once more broke the surface. "Why the hell did you do that?!"
At first she was laughing too hard to reply, but eventually her breathing evened and she said between gasps, "Because you did it again!"
"Did what?!"
Her face turned sour, "Don't pretend you don't know!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"You led me on Armitage!" she snapped, though her amusement still shone through her anger. "Once again you had me thinking that we were gonna kiss this time! But no!"
Dante hung his head to hide his obvious smile.
"I'm sick of it you know! You do it every time!"
"Awww Trish…" he said with fake sympathy, suddenly swimming towards the bank. "I'm sorry, I had no idea how much it was affecting you…" he held out his hand towards her as he reached his destination, "Now help me out, please?"
She hesitated, then held out her hand for him, meaning to help him out of the water.
An evil glint shone in his eye and she instantly realised this was a mistake. Tugging on her arm, he brought her tumbling in and hitting the water after him. It was absolutely freezing and she tried to scream in surprise, but the cold lake suppressed her cries.
She felt him grip her around the waist and start pulling her upwards towards the surface, gasping sharply as she broke it and clinging onto him like the lifeline he represented. "Stupid bastard!" She cried, hitting him as soon as she could manage it. "Why did you pull me in?!"
"You pushed me in first," he smirked dangerously, "Besides, I couldn't just let you sit there and get jealous of me freezing in my waterlogged clothes."
"That's not funny!" She splashed the water hard so that more icy drops landed on his skin. "I hate cold water!"
"Well so do I."
Another splash confirmed to him that she wasn't in the mood for jokes and he let go of her waist, pushing her further out into the lake and retaliating with his own splash of water.
She held out her hands in front of her face to shield herself and pushed more water back in his direction. "Stop splashing me!"
"Well you're splashing me," he said coolly.
"I have every right to, I'm annoyed with you!"
Without another word he suddenly disappeared under the waters surface and in a blind panic she looked around, scanning the surface for some sign of him, "Dante?! Dante, where are you?!"
Her cries were answered as she felt something pull down on her leg and once more she disappeared beneath the water. She thrashed and struggled violently, only relaxing as she felt his hands squeeze her shoulder, telling her that he was still there, that he hadn't left her. Her eyes opened and she was suddenly aware of the cold void around her, it was so dark beneath the surface she could see nothing, only eternal obscurity.
She turned in the water as Dante moved in front of her. His hair flowed freely around him and the smile he wore was gentle, it was like when she had first met him, when they first got back from the island. He looked like Dante again.
She felt his arm slip around her waist, his other slide up her back and bury his fingers in her silky golden tresses. She shuddered when she felt their lips touch, she didn't mean too, but she couldn't help it. It was like all her prayers had been answered and for once she didn't care anymore. This was all she wanted.
The air was like a cool relief when they broke the surface, even though she had been enjoying herself thoroughly every demon needs air sometime. She growled at that thought, she was still a demon in some ways. However…
"Dante…" the whisper came out more like a whimper and her companion brushed his drenched silver locks from his eyes vainly, "You okay?"
"Yes…" she leant her head on his chest with a sudden wave of emotion. "I never thought that…"
"You never thought I would do it would you?" his eyes narrowed, but he still smiled.
"No…"
"Never think like that…" he growled, planting another kiss on her neck and gripping her tighter, "I just like to take my time."
Dante stopped as he felt Trish pressed her fingers into his neck, "What's the matter?"
"Shhh…" she smiled, "Can't you hear it?"
"Hear what?"
"Them…"
He was silent and his eyes widened as her heard their smooth voices carried in the wind.
"They're singing…" Trish bit her lip with tears in her eyes, "The unicorns are singing…"
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End of chapter six