Puzzled, Geogin took one step onto the sand. Her hoof sunk ankle deep. With a sharp pull she pulled it out. "It will not be easy to cross this sand" Leelo murmered quietly. Celisty looked nervous. Most Celestial unicorns had never been to the deserted part of the gap. "Don't panic! We can get across if we gallop across quickly" Lest said sharply. But Celisty had already sped off across the sands. The others followed, hoping to reach the destination soon.
They ran. Ran as long as Geogin had run when fleeing the unicorn catcher. Longer. Farther. Soon they were slowing, their hooves sinking deeping with each step. Finally they stopped. The sun was high when they started out. Now it was setting. They were going Northwest. To the enemy. Hunger over too them. Leelo and Dawe, who didn't graze as much to watch Geogin, were regreting. Hunger overtook them as twilight came.
"Is there an end!" Geogin cried. They had rested enough! She sped off against the others protests. The had to reach an end! They galloped on for anouther hour and then slowed down down down to the same slow pace. Finally, as the moon reached its pick Lest told them to halt. "Tomarrow we will continue" he said. And so Dawe kept watch. In the morning, the horses has sunk a bit and had to struggle to get their feet out or stand up.
They bolt again. Trying to reach the end. Suddenly, the leader of the pack, Geogin, cried out "I see grass!" They sped up, hunger and excitment drived the herd. They reached the lushious grass. Like fillys and colts they whinnied and reared and bucked and neighed with glee. Zoe even rolled about in the grass. They halted for an hour, filling their stomechs at last. They carried on at a slower pace, happier. Fuller. More energy. They lazily went forth until they saw a lake. They stepped to the sandy shore and drank and they galloped and reared and swam. They all splashed and ran about, happy to get a drink. But, they had to get around the lake to keep going.
And so they did. They travel off. Then, Zoe challenged Dawe to a race and sped off. Dawe whinnied and ran after. But he skidded to a stop when a sharp squeal reached his ears. Zoe was sinking right into the earth. Quicksand! The water of the lake had washed onto the sand and make it sinking. But, unlike its name suggested, the sand was slowly eating Zoe up.
Now, a normal horse on the other side of the gap would have died. But, unicorns are not normal. They are intelligent and help their fellows. As though it was placed there, Dawe spotted a large stick in the sand nearby. He bit on one end like a dog and offered the other to Zoe. Zoe took the stick and Dawe pulled. Zoes fore hooves came up, but the stick came out of Dawe mouth. At that moment the rest came up. Dawe hastily lunged and grabbed the stick. Zoe had got one for hoof on solid earth again now but the other was sinking again.
Dawe pulled again. And this time, Zoe got herself free! Sand was all over her body. The band let out a sigh of relief. "Wash off the sand. We will go around the sand. It will take a bit longer to get around the lake but we can do it" Lest said. They other agreed. But Kort rolled his eyes as though bored with Lests leader attitude.
As twilight fell they made it around the lake at last. They were going into anouther forest. The trees were thick. And knotted. They came onto a clearing. "We rest here" Lest said. The group obeyed. Lest faintly smiled. They had braved so many dangers and finally they were accepting Lest as their leader. Like most stallions, Lest always wanted to be a band stallion. And now, in this journey, he felt he had been appointed one.
They others slept and Lest felt himself think about it all. How far they had come. And how far they had to go. They would make it. No turning back. He smiled wanly again.
Dawn came and the group got going. 'No' Lest thought, 'the herd'. The 'herd' noticed how happy Lest was. They got out of the small forest and came onto more plains. But these weren't just plains. These were the plains. "The plains in which he died" Kort whispered. "You knew?" Geogin asked, suprised. "The news traveled fast when Karlo died" Kort said sadly. The group stared for a moment. As though, hesitent they might perish too if they came across the endless plains.
Finally, it was Celisty who said, "Lets go. Across"
The others nodded gravely and took their first steps into the plains where a great hero fell, and a great evil was known.