Sorry for the delay. I was catching up on my fanfics. Here we go. :)
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The Hill Unicorns were the Hobbits of the Unicorn breeds!
While most of the Unicorn breeds had chosen their own destined spot in the Land of Unicorns, the Hill Unicorns stayed in the Hills, a land filled with green grassy hills and hillocks. Of course, the Hills were surrounded by forests and trees, where the Forest Unicorns, with their shades of green on their coats and spiral horns, and Tree Unicorns, with shades of brown and painted coats, as well as spiral horns in different shades of brown, protected them from the dangers outside the Hills.
Often, the Hill Unicorns teamed up with the Valley Unicorns, a breed of Unicorns whose coats and spiral horns were in shades of pinks and purples, whereas the Hill Unicorns had a variety of colors for their coats and spiral horns. Since the Valley stood to the south of the Land of Unicorns, it was border country for the Hill Unicorns. The only way the Hill Unicorns could leave the Hills and the Valley involved paying a toll with the Valley Unicorns. Otherwise, the Valley Unicorns would remain with the Hill Unicorns until the end of time.
Among the Hill Unicorns was a young, standard white coated Unicorn foal named Syrena. Her spiral horn had a pearl-like quality and color to it, almost like a seashell. There were some who said Syrena's bloodline came from Dark Unicorns and Sea Unicorns. If this was true, then Syrena had Dark Unicorns and Sea Unicorns protecting her.
Syrena wandered with her dark brown Unicorn mother for a time, watching her in interest as they made their way up a hill, overlooking the forest and the desert beyond the Hills and Valley. Syrena wanted so badly to escape the Hills. There was no telling when she would ever accomplish this task.
"Someday Syrena, you will become a great leader amongst all Animal kin," her mother said, pleased.
"What about the Creatures?" Syrena asked, curiously.
"Don't worry, dear. The Creatures are allies to us all," her mother added, walking down the hill in a slow procession.
Syrena looked out at the horizon, watching the sunset with ease. "Someday, I'm going to make something of myself! Someday, I will see what this world has to offer." She added, finishing her thought, "Then nothing will stand in my way."
.
Six Months Later…
Syrena's birthday was today! She smiled. One year old and a young, fully grown Unicorn. She couldn't believe it. And yet, as she found her way to the door to a tree house, her mind was made up. She would see this Tree Unicorn, Whipstaff, and be done with it.
The door opened, revealing a painted Tree Unicorn with a tan spiral horn. He was young for a thousand-year-old Tree Unicorn, who stared at her in disdain.
"We're closed," Whipstaff said, nearly closing the door on Syrena.
Syrena pushed the door back, telling him, "Can we talk?" She smiled at him, trying to reason with him.
"What do you want?" Whipstaff asked, annoyed.
"Well, it's my birthday. I thought we could celebrate it together," Syrena said with a warm-hearted smile.
Whipstaff shook his head. "Come in."
"Oh, thank you!" Syrena said, charging into his house. The house was decked out with wooden furniture, brown cushions on the furniture, and lanterns lit up for the evening. There was even a stairway leading to the balcony and the second floor. Syrena sighed, staring at the bookcases stacked with histories of the second Seven Realms.
It was a shame she couldn't explore more of this world. Why were the Unicorns hidden from the rest of the realms again?
She jumped when Whipstaff closed the door behind him. She turned around, facing the painted Unicorn in disbelief.
"What do you want? Another history lesson? Charades? Also, there's this prophecy that a unicorn will one day leave the Land of Unicorns, jumpstarting the time when the Land of Unicorns will be revealed to all the realms in our world," Whipstaff said, walking over to his wooden desk with a brown leather cover screwed to the desk's wooden surface. He smiled, telling Syrena, "What do you want to know, my love? If I may call you that."
"Right," Syrena said, awkwardly. She changed the subject. "So, it's my birthday. I was wondering if you could foresee my future."
"I am no seer, lass," Whipstaff said, shaking his head. He admitted, seriously, "If you want to know your fate, you go off and speak to Aslan. I'm sure the Great Lion of Narnia will guide you down your road."
Syrena was confused. Speak to Aslan? No Unicorn had seen Aslan since the Universe was formed. Did she miss something? The last Unicorn who made contact with Aslan was the Unicorn Fae, who doubted Aslan and why she was paired with the dragon Sores.
Granted, that was back in the First World. Every Unicorn knew the story. Fae was the reason why Unicorns in this Universe were not often seen by people, creatures, and animals. Surely, Syrena would have to correct this error, make people believe that Unicorns were gentle creatures who would do no harm… then again, what did she know?
"Listen, lass. Go off and speak with Aslan. I've got work to do," Whipstaff said, going through a collection of books for a book on herbs. "Ah! Here's my book of herbs! Do you want a healing potion?" He looked up at her, curious to see if she wanted an herbal potion for her birthday.
Syrena stared quizzically at him. Really? He was offering her an herbal potion? Maybe she should take his offer.
She nodded, telling him, "No, I'm good. But if you want to make me an herbal potion, I don't see how it could hurt anyone."
Whipstaff shrugged. That was a good sign! Riiiiight.
"It's just a little something for the journey," Whipstaff said, moving his tan spiral horn down on the mortar, crafting a green healing solution in the air, before moving the herbal liquid into a vial, using his spiral horn. When he corked the vial, he passed it to Syrena. He smiled, telling her, "Have a nice evening!"
"Right. Thank you, Whipstaff," Syrena said, making her way out of Whipstaff's tree house.
"Have fun," Whipstaff said, watching her leave his house. He laughed, enjoying this moment. "She doesn't know what she's getting herself into. Hm hm." He resumed his studying, hoping that Syrena was okay.