A/N: I apologize for the chapter title. (Again!) I am very aware that it is
terrible!
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Lorelei's Return
Chapter 2: Cry for Help ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Adriane and Kara drew back in shock, Lyra and Dreamer clutched in their arms. Emily could not look away, however, no matter how hard she tried.
No one present could believe that the creature they stared at was the beautiful unicorn. Her sleek white coat was now streaked with mud and dry blood, while more continued to pour from the gashes along her sides. Her magnificent horn was reduced to a small, dirty stub, no magic left in it. The unicorn's eyes rolled in distress as she was backed into a stall by stable hands. Stable hands! Emily thought frantically. But that means she's...
Her thoughts were cut off as she gasped. Lorelei was in a horse stable, a horse stable! Her dear friend, reduced to nothing more than a normal horse. Lorelei paced around her new stall, snorting madly at the on looking horses.
"Emily...?" Kara asked hesitantly, at a loss for words. Hearing the girl's distress, the dragonflies began chirping amongst themselves, then broke their circle and flew for Kara's hair. The portal shimmered then began to fade, taking the image of Lorelei with it.
Emily choked back a sob, and gave a strangled cry. "Lorelei..." Tears streamed freely down her cheeks. She continued to stare long after the portal disappeared completely, forgetting the existence of anything else.
Kara and Adriane were speaking frantically to each other. "What could this mean?" Kara asked, her eyes clouding over.
"We need to know what's happening. If Lorelei's been captured, then all the other unicorns may have been too. That puts the entire web in danger," Adriane racked her brains for an answer, but none came to her. "There might be a new evil threatening Avalon. I think we should contact Zach."
For once, Kara didn't even blink an eye at Adriane's request. "I hate to say it, but you're right. We really do need to know what's going on in Aldenmoor," She plucked five frightened d-flies from her hair. "Listen up, d-flies. I need you to contact Zach. But this time, no breaking up, no matter how bad it is!" Kara gave them all a stern look.
"Sorry, KeeKee!" Goldie piped up. The mini dragons obediently linked claws once again and began spinning a new portal. Ozzie's, Lyra's and Dreamer's heads popped up behind Adriane and Kara as Adriane's friend Zach appeared.
"Adriane? Is that you?" Zach's voice sounded far away and nervous. As his face came into focus, the small group could see that it was dirt-streaked, and his eyes had dark circles under them.
"Zach? What's wrong?" Adriane's eyes glimmered with worry. "Is everything okay?"
Shaking his head, Zach replied wearily, "No, it's far from it. A terrible thing has happened. Someone has begun capturing the unicorns from the magic web."
"We know, we saw Lorelei. But who is capturing them?" Kara burst in.
"That's the worst part," Zach said gravely. "A human from Earth, a non- magical one, has discovered the Magic Web."
A gasp swept through the group. "Oh, this is very bad!" Ozzie cried. "What are we going to do? This bumbling idiot is putting the entire web in danger! Without the unicorns there to heal it, it will fall apart!" A large, furry paw swept down from the air, and Ozzie's ramblings were suddenly smothered by Lyra.
"The Fairimentals are doing all they can to stop this human. But they have never dealt with a situation like this, and the human will soon stumble into other worlds." Zach said quickly.
Adriane's mouth was set in a firm line. "While you do that, we'll find the captured unicorns and release them." Her gaze swept toward Emily, who had rejoined the group.
"If you have any news, call the d-flies," Kara added to Zach. "Hear that, you guys? If Zach calls you, I want you to come to him!" The d-flies hummed their understanding.
"Adriane...be careful," his gaze lingered on the dark-haired girl. "I will, but you better be too." She replied, as the portal swirled closed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Emily, Kara, Adriane, Lyra, Ozzie, and Dreamer sat in the library, trying to figure out a plan. "We don't know where to start, or how long it will take us," Kara said doubtfully, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
"Well, we can't sit around here making plans forever!" Adriane argued, pacing the length of the room. "We have to save the unicorns!"
Kara stared up at her from the chair behind the desk. "Listen, Xena, don't tell me about saving the unicorns. I KNOW we have to, I'm no idiot!"
Before she could blurt out the insult Adriane had in mind, Emily's quiet, pained voice interrupted. "Stop, both of you! My mother is a veterinarian, remember? She can easily find out all the local horse stables. All we need to do is get a list from her and visit them. The unicorns may not be held nearby, but at least we can figure that out, right?"
Kara and Adriane agreed quietly, avoiding each other's eyes. "Alright then," Lyra purred. "Let's get to Emily's."
"Ooh, maybe the Dr. has some lasagna!" Ozzie cried hopefully.
AS they headed toward Emily's house, Adriane dropped back to walk with Emily. "Don't worry." She whispered quietly. "We'll find Lorelei." She gave her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze, and Emily smiled. Adriane knew what it was like to lose someone, she thought as she stared down at Dreamer.
"Hey, come on you two!" Kara called from ahead. "We've got some unicorns to save!"
Chapter 2: Cry for Help ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Adriane and Kara drew back in shock, Lyra and Dreamer clutched in their arms. Emily could not look away, however, no matter how hard she tried.
No one present could believe that the creature they stared at was the beautiful unicorn. Her sleek white coat was now streaked with mud and dry blood, while more continued to pour from the gashes along her sides. Her magnificent horn was reduced to a small, dirty stub, no magic left in it. The unicorn's eyes rolled in distress as she was backed into a stall by stable hands. Stable hands! Emily thought frantically. But that means she's...
Her thoughts were cut off as she gasped. Lorelei was in a horse stable, a horse stable! Her dear friend, reduced to nothing more than a normal horse. Lorelei paced around her new stall, snorting madly at the on looking horses.
"Emily...?" Kara asked hesitantly, at a loss for words. Hearing the girl's distress, the dragonflies began chirping amongst themselves, then broke their circle and flew for Kara's hair. The portal shimmered then began to fade, taking the image of Lorelei with it.
Emily choked back a sob, and gave a strangled cry. "Lorelei..." Tears streamed freely down her cheeks. She continued to stare long after the portal disappeared completely, forgetting the existence of anything else.
Kara and Adriane were speaking frantically to each other. "What could this mean?" Kara asked, her eyes clouding over.
"We need to know what's happening. If Lorelei's been captured, then all the other unicorns may have been too. That puts the entire web in danger," Adriane racked her brains for an answer, but none came to her. "There might be a new evil threatening Avalon. I think we should contact Zach."
For once, Kara didn't even blink an eye at Adriane's request. "I hate to say it, but you're right. We really do need to know what's going on in Aldenmoor," She plucked five frightened d-flies from her hair. "Listen up, d-flies. I need you to contact Zach. But this time, no breaking up, no matter how bad it is!" Kara gave them all a stern look.
"Sorry, KeeKee!" Goldie piped up. The mini dragons obediently linked claws once again and began spinning a new portal. Ozzie's, Lyra's and Dreamer's heads popped up behind Adriane and Kara as Adriane's friend Zach appeared.
"Adriane? Is that you?" Zach's voice sounded far away and nervous. As his face came into focus, the small group could see that it was dirt-streaked, and his eyes had dark circles under them.
"Zach? What's wrong?" Adriane's eyes glimmered with worry. "Is everything okay?"
Shaking his head, Zach replied wearily, "No, it's far from it. A terrible thing has happened. Someone has begun capturing the unicorns from the magic web."
"We know, we saw Lorelei. But who is capturing them?" Kara burst in.
"That's the worst part," Zach said gravely. "A human from Earth, a non- magical one, has discovered the Magic Web."
A gasp swept through the group. "Oh, this is very bad!" Ozzie cried. "What are we going to do? This bumbling idiot is putting the entire web in danger! Without the unicorns there to heal it, it will fall apart!" A large, furry paw swept down from the air, and Ozzie's ramblings were suddenly smothered by Lyra.
"The Fairimentals are doing all they can to stop this human. But they have never dealt with a situation like this, and the human will soon stumble into other worlds." Zach said quickly.
Adriane's mouth was set in a firm line. "While you do that, we'll find the captured unicorns and release them." Her gaze swept toward Emily, who had rejoined the group.
"If you have any news, call the d-flies," Kara added to Zach. "Hear that, you guys? If Zach calls you, I want you to come to him!" The d-flies hummed their understanding.
"Adriane...be careful," his gaze lingered on the dark-haired girl. "I will, but you better be too." She replied, as the portal swirled closed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Emily, Kara, Adriane, Lyra, Ozzie, and Dreamer sat in the library, trying to figure out a plan. "We don't know where to start, or how long it will take us," Kara said doubtfully, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
"Well, we can't sit around here making plans forever!" Adriane argued, pacing the length of the room. "We have to save the unicorns!"
Kara stared up at her from the chair behind the desk. "Listen, Xena, don't tell me about saving the unicorns. I KNOW we have to, I'm no idiot!"
Before she could blurt out the insult Adriane had in mind, Emily's quiet, pained voice interrupted. "Stop, both of you! My mother is a veterinarian, remember? She can easily find out all the local horse stables. All we need to do is get a list from her and visit them. The unicorns may not be held nearby, but at least we can figure that out, right?"
Kara and Adriane agreed quietly, avoiding each other's eyes. "Alright then," Lyra purred. "Let's get to Emily's."
"Ooh, maybe the Dr. has some lasagna!" Ozzie cried hopefully.
AS they headed toward Emily's house, Adriane dropped back to walk with Emily. "Don't worry." She whispered quietly. "We'll find Lorelei." She gave her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze, and Emily smiled. Adriane knew what it was like to lose someone, she thought as she stared down at Dreamer.
"Hey, come on you two!" Kara called from ahead. "We've got some unicorns to save!"