The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd
Chapter 11: The Gathering in the Meadow
This Chapter is dedicated to Readyn-1, who is one of my most avid readers.
The trail was filled with liquid gold. It flowed seamlessly, shining all different shades as the sun hit the different parts of the river. Despite its appearance though, it was not a river, rather a large Herd of Unicorns, all of them some shade of yellow and gold. Their hooves and horns glittered in the noon-day sun as they all walked and jogged to some unknown destination. By some unknown rule, all the unicorns were walking four abreast, usually in two pairs of mates. No one had ordered them to line up like this, but no one moved around.
Alkaid walked towards the front of the Herd, his mate on the outside and himself next to some stallion he didn't know. Alkaid didn't know where they were going, but he hoped that he reached there soon…the idiot stallion beside him had been singing the entire time, and not making any sense either. He sang only about diddles, daddles, and dallies, or things like that, and didn't sing anything about any legends or stories Alkaid was familiar with. It was really starting to get o his nerves.
Barikah walked beside Orcinus, chatting and laughing with Wanip beside her. Some others in the Herd talked as well, but most were silent, scared at the new world beside them. Scared of the unknown. Barikah, however, was not scared. She had been into far too many unknowns to be frightened of them. Anyway, what was this but another great adventure? Much like that of her friends, she reflected, grinning at the memory.
Alkaid stared up the small curve of land. A sort of nervous, apprehension started building up inside of him. He didn't like change, but he hadn't realized that until everything started to change when Solaris had ordered everyone out of the meadow earlier that morning. He hadn't liked the change then, and he still didn't like it now.
Alkaid tried to ignore the singing stallion beside him, didn't succeed, and the crested the top of the ridge. He stopped, dropped his jaw, and forgot to breathe for a good minute or so.
Barikah stared at what lay ahead of her. A large Herd of Red unicorns stood toward the edge of the meadow. A pale blue Herd was halfway down the edge of the bowl-like field. The Sun Herd was just starting the side. Barikah's mind raced. If those Herds were here, then surely…. Then there they were – a large group of dirt-colored unicorns, all huddling together nervously. Her eyes raced over them, pausing on a small, average looking Unicorn. She whinnied and then took off, ignoring her father's bellows of rage behind her. And in her ears, she heard someone laughing.
Alkaid saw a pale and dark funny-colored mare spilt off from one of the blue herds. Her long mane and tail streamed out behind her and for just a moment, Alkaid forgot her strange coloring and saw how graceful she was.
The stallion beside him had stopped mid-song and was staring at the mare. For a moment Alkaid was glad, but then the stallion threw back his head and laughed manically.
Barikah might have been the first (in many ways), but others followed (also in many ways). Several mares with young foals at their sides ran to their true mates. Then the loners ran. A mate less mare from the brown Herd ran to a newly arrived Metal stallion. A golden mare cantered to a red stallion. Two blue unicorns from separate Herds meet each other in the middle of the clearing and ran circles around each other, nuzzling and exchanging greetings.
And in the middle of it all was The Mare.