Disclaimer: Sanctuary does not belong to me. I am borrowing the ideas that were thought up first by others. I have made no money by writing this, merely the satisfaction of beating people up without being suspended from school.

A/N: yeah, yeah...I get it. I should just have a permanent apology attached to this story. So ya know what? I'm gonna get this over with as quick as possible. I'M SORRY! Better? Maybe just a little? But yeah, I really am sorry for taking so long to update guys (again. Sheesh...). School started almost a month ago for me, and it's bit me pretty hard. I honestly have been working on this chapter for a while, but considering that I've had about a total of 5-10 minutes to work on it at a time (until today), it was coming painfully slow. But you honestly probably don't wanna hear me make excuses. So I'll just wrap this apology up with this: read, review, enjoy, but please don't throw acid or flames my way for taking so long. I'm not even going to make a conjecture concerning when the next chapter will be up.

Chapter 4

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Magnus held her breath as she gazed upward at the cloud encased sky, waiting for the blinding flash of agony that would herald her death. Instead, she felt a sickening thud, and a split second later, she felt the sensation of something tearing across her stomach, and then the weight left her chest. Gasping in pain and shock, Helen rolled over, breathing deeply as her arms shoved her body upright. Vaguely she could feel lines of fire burning across her abdomen, could smell the sickly sweet yet tantalizing scent of fresh blood, but she ignored it, staggering unsteadily to her feet.

A snarl directed her attention to the edge of the clearing. The midnight black horse was rearing, its hooves suspended midair as it screamed its defiance at the beast. The cat Abnormal was flipped over onto its side from where it had been thrown, its tail thrashing in the grass as it attempted to right itself.

The horse's hooves came crashing down toward the ground, the animal angling its head so that the flat of its forehead was angled toward the fallen creature. And in that instant, accompanied by a flickering of light as a sun beam broke through the clouds briefly, Helen saw something that stopped her dead in her tracks, her gaze fastened on the horse.

A single, spiraling, ivory horn was growing gracefully directly between the unicorn's golden eyes, the tip coming to a needle fine point. It was approximately a foot in length, and Helen could only wonder how she hadn't seen it previously.

Her world suddenly snapped back to reality as the horse screamed in agony, falling to its side as the mountain cat flipped itself upward, raking its claws down the mare's stomach as it flew upwards. The Abnormal flipped midair, coming down to land on the fallen unicorn, spitting in rage.

Once again, Helen acted without thinking, throwing herself forward without a second's hesitation. Her hand reached to her hip where a simple knife was sheathed. She yanked the blade from its casing, throwing herself into the air toward the tawny cat, ignoring the crimson droplets of blood that fell to the ground from her own body with silent plops as she hurtled forward.

A bone-jarring impact rattled her teeth as she, in turn, slammed shoulder first into the creature. Growling in frustration, the creature was thrown off of the mare and, once again, sent sprawling to the ground. Helen landed on her side, rolling as she slammed into the earth. She grunted as she rolled, pain lancing through both her head and her stomach.

Helen leapt to her feet, the knife held out in front of her. The cat was only just picking itself up, an aggravated gleam in its eyes. It bared its fangs as its tail lashed the air, a deep, penetrating growl emanating from deep in its throat.

It began to pace forward, its body low to the ground as it slunk toward Helen. She suddenly moved forward, the blade flashing as it arced down and toward the Abnormal's forehead. It attempted to lunge sideways and away from the descending knife, but it was just a few seconds slow.

A long gash was sliced open along the Abnormal's ear, effectively splitting the tender skin in half. It screamed in pain as it whirled, snapping at Helen's legs. She danced backwards, only just managing to evade the razor sharp fangs. It lunged forward again, just as Helen raised the knife. It rammed its chest into the four inch blade before jerking away, tearing the handle from Magnus's hands.

Squalling, a ruby red blur suddenly landed on the Abnormal's back, wings spread wide for balance as the dragon's serpentine head struck downwards, his sharp teeth burying through the Abnormal's fur to nip at the tender skin beneath.

Howling, the Abnormal attempted to roll over and crush the dragonlet beneath its bulk, but Helen launched herself forward, grabbing the beast around the neck. It staggered, its feet sliding out from underneath it as it crashed downward. The dragon leapt off of the beast's back, and dove straight for its throat.

Blood fountained into the air as the dragonlet's fangs struck the Abnormal's exposed neck. It howled thrashing and breaking free of Helen's grasp. She let it go as it turned tail and fled into the safety of the trees.

The dragon began to give chase, but Magnus stepped in front of him.

"Enough, Little One. It has had enough. It won't bother us again." The dragonlet flared its wings in triumph, rearing on its hind legs as his wings beat the air into a miniature gale, crowing his victory to the world. Shaking her head, Helen turned away from the small creature, one hand going to her stomach.

She gasped as her fingers brushed against riven skin, four long, diagonal slash marks etched into her fair skin. Although they were not particularly deep, they were very long and were bleeding profusely. Blood coated the front of her shirt and drenched her pants in a sadistic paint. She quickly yanked off her jacket, folding it into a temporary bandage to help stem the bleeding.

A low, pained whicker brought Helen's attention from her own injuries to the fallen unicorn. The mare lay on her side, fighting to take in breath as long, jagged wounds bled sluggishly onto the vivid green grass. Stumbling slightly, Helen forced her legs forward as she slowly approached the injured animal.

As she neared, the mare attempted to regain her feet, getting as far as rolling back onto her stomach. She attempted to push herself up off of the ground, but she fell back again, her right foreleg giving out.

"Easy," Magnus murmured as she dropped to her knees beside the fallen mare. With soft, calming caresses, Helen stroked the mare's neck, hoping to allay some of the unicorn's fear and distract her from the pain. The mare whickered uneasily and moved restlessly. "Easy," Helen said again.

Pushing the mare gently, Helen urged her over onto her midnight black side. Still murmuring soothing words and using calming movements, Magnus stretched out the long, black leg drenched with thickening crimson blood, a soft moan groaning out of the mare's throat.

Carefully inspecting the jagged punctures where the cat Abnormal's teeth had punctured the delicate skin, Helen bit her lip. The holes were deep and continuing to ooze blood as well as a greenish liquid, which indicated some sort of venom as well. Sighing with the enormity of her task, Helen continued inspecting the unicorn, making her way up to the long gouges in the mare's tender underbelly.

As soon as her gently probing fingers brushed against the fine layer of fur on the unicorn's belly, the mare snorted in pain and Helen snatched back her fingers. Magnus's brows creased in concentration as she battled the pounding headache that was, once again, making its presence known. In the rush of adrenaline that accompanied the fight, the throbbing in her head had almost completely vanished. Now, however, it had returned with a vengeance, and Helen was struggling to even form a fully coherent thought.

Finally, Helen stood, rubbing her bloody fingers together.

"Can you get up?" she asked the unicorn, walking over so she could kneel by the mare's side, ignoring the painful searing of her stomach as the cloth rasped over the slashes. "We need to get those wounds of yours cleaned up before we can do anything else," Helen explained. She felt a little foolish for speaking to a horse the way she would a human, but it just felt…right somehow.

The unicorn whickered, then surged to her knees. Helen stood, bracing her hands against the mare's shoulder, helping her to stay steady as the unicorn pushed upward again, this time making it fully onto her legs. The blood that had been slowly congealing on her leg began to tear free and bleed more thickly, but Helen disregarded it, knowing that naught could be done at the moment.

"There is a stream nearby, if memory serves," Magnus told the mare, who merely bobbed her head and flicked her tail. Stumbling on every hidden stone or small hillock of earth, Magnus lead the way, one hand resting on the unicorn's stolid shoulder. The dragonlet bounded by her side, his red scales gleaming brilliantly in the intermittent patches of sunlight that filtered through the foliage.

The sound of trickling water cascaded through the mountain air, the rippling brook that sluiced between the trees filling the air with the scent of water. The sparkling surface came into view a few moments later, and Helen had to fight to keep herself from merely dropping to the muddy bank beside the whispering brook and lying down.

Instead, Magnus got to her knees beside the flowing waters and dipped her fingers into the cold waves, leaving the knife in the grass beside a stone. The water was frigid and biting, the melted snow that ran through the stream filling it with a coldness of the high mountains. Gritting her teeth, Helen tore a strip of cloth from the hem of her shirt and dipped it into the running water.

When she raised herself back into a sitting position, gasping for air as the long gashes burned, the mare lowered herself to the ground once again, lying on her side. Helen raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by the amount of trust shown to her by the magnificent creature.

"This will hurt," Magnus warned, then set about cleaning the wound on the mare's foreleg.

Once the greenish fluid had been rubbed out of the oozing wounds and the flecks of dirt and grass wiped free, Helen tore a second, longer strip of cloth from her shirt. It was a far cry from a preferred bandage, but it would have to do. With quick, efficient movements, Magnus wrapped the long piece of cloth around the mare's foreleg, tightening it to restrict the blood flowing freely from the punctures.

After repeating the cleaning process for the long gashes in the unicorn's belly, Helen sat back, releasing a bone deep sigh.

"There is not much else I can do for you," Helen told the unicorn sadly. "If I had the proper equipment, I could seal the wounds. But I don't, and I don't know what else to do without risking causing internal damage. As it is, none of your internal organs have been injured, but if I try to mess with it too much, I run the risk."

The mare lifted her head, turning over onto her stomach as she did. Helen grimaced at the thought of debris that must be working its way into the freshly cleaned gouges. She immediately relaxed as a midnight black chin rested on her lap, the spiraling horn gleaming a few inches from her throat. Golden eyes watched her solemnly, gratitude showing through, gleaming in the dusky light.

"You're welcome," Helen whispered into the silence, even the young dragonlet silent as he gazed at his reflection in the rippling waters.

A whistling sound disrupted the moment, and the mare's head shot upright, her horn passing a few inches from Magnus's face. The surprised woman leaned backwards, her mind attempting to comprehend what her eyes were seeing.

Two ropes had settled around the mare's neck, the twines pulling taught. Horses whinnied, rough voices shouting in excitement.

Helen staggered to her feet, one hand automatically bracing against her injured stomach, blood flaking between her fingers. The unicorn reared, screaming in fear and betrayal as she fought the restraining cords that were entangling in her mane. Her hooves slammed into the ground and her gaze met Magnus's for just an instant.

Betrayer! they screamed, the hurt, the pain of Helen's supposed treachery gleaming raw and oozing in the mare's golden eyes. She suddenly broke the contact, leaping up and away, contorting and crying shrilly as she pulled at the ropes. Blood dripped from her chest and stomach as the wounds ripped open again, dropping crimson rain onto the ground.

She was pulled crashing to the ground. All Helen could do was stand rooted to the ground, watching as the horrific scene unfolded before her. She felt trapped in molasses, unable to move, to think, the pounding in her head intensifying as her heart rushed.

She felt herself stagger forward, and then the voices of the men on their horses snapped into her conscious mind.

"Spread out! We're looking for a dragon!"

With a shrieking squall, a ruby red blur flew over Magnus's shoulder, wings flared in fiery fury.

"No!" Helen screamed, lunging forward to grab a hold of the dragon. Raucous whoops accompanied the sound of a flying net as it settled over the small creature. The ground shook as two horses were urged forward and sent careening toward the helpless creature thrashing on the ground.

"Get away from it, woman!" one of the men yelled harshly at her. She ignored the command, her vision narrowing and focusing solely on the thrashing, squalling bundle trapped to the ground.

Reaching, snatching. She felt her arms wrap around the dragonlet, could hear her own voice attempting to quiet him, to reassure him. She could feel her feet slapping the grassy ground, could see, out of the corners of her eyes, the trees flashing by as she sprinted back the way she had come.

All the pain had been washed away by a surging rush of fear and adrenaline, leaving only a mind whirling and sprinting with a million thoughts. The sound, the very feel of pursuit crashed behind her, and Helen realized that she had very little time.

Ripping at the mesh of the net, Helen tore at the bindings that imprisoned the dragonlet. As if through a veil, she could feel the skin on her fingers slice open and bleed, but it didn't matter. With a final, vicious snarl, Magnus shredded the net. Her pursuers were almost upon her.

Trees flashed past her, the browns and greens blurring together as she wove and dodged through the undergrowth, leaping over the ferns and fallen debris that littered the forest floor. Breathing raggedly, Helen looked down at her precious bundle.

"Hide," she whispered, and opened the net, flinging her dragonlet into the air. He tucked in his wings, diving toward the ground and pulling up in a hollowed out space between the roots of a tree. Magnus rewrapped the mesh into a ball, clutching it to her chest, and continued her headlong dash.

She didn't make it far. She felt a rope suddenly tighten around her shoulders. She was lifted off of her feet and sent crashing to the forest ground, the breath being forced from her lungs with a vicious stab. Struggling, Magnus made it to her knees, pushing her body upright, her eyes locked on the sky above her.

Her escape was cut off as three horses suddenly swept around her, circling her kneeling figure in a constant, moving circle.

"Give the dragon to us," one of the men barked, his face shadowed by a Stetson, his voice callous and harsh. "Now, and we won't hurt you."

Grinning with a feral humor, Helen lifted her arms, allowing the shredded net to fall to the ground, the torn folds fluttering to the ground.

She was jerked off of her knees and, once again, sent to the forest floor.

"Where is it?" someone yelled at her. "Tell us!" the voice screamed.

Curling into a ball, all Helen could do was laugh to herself at their panicked fury.

"You'll never find him," she told them. "I'll never tell you." Boots met the ground as one of the riders dismounted and stalked toward the prone figure of the woman.

"Get up," he growled. When she made no move to comply, he kicked her viciously, his boot connecting solidly with her hip. "I said, get up," he spat, kicking her again. He reached down, gripping Helen's shoulder and pulling her savagely upright. Forcing her chin upward, he locked eyes with her.

Fifty years had taught Helen how to keep a straight face, one that showed no hint or emotion whatsoever, no matter what. A fist slammed into her cheek and stars popped in her line of vision as the shock of the blow sent her reeling to one side. If the man had not been holding her, she would have been knocked flat on her side once again.

"She's coming with us," the man growled, then looped a coarse material around Helen's hands, binding them tightly together. Yanking the rope around her shoulders, he dragged the woman to his horse's side, and lifted her hands. After mounting, he twined the rope around his left hand and wrist. "You tell us where the little monster is, I'll get you up on the horse where you can ride. Until then, I hope you can run."

Kneeing the horse, the trio set off into a trot back the way they had come.

Magnus was jerked forward, her feet automatically moving to keep her body upright. She knew that, if she fell, she would not be able to get up once again. The horse's hooves flashed less than a foot in front, and behind her. All she could do was keep her feet beneath her, and pray that the dragonlet would not show himself.

A few agonizing moments passed, and then the four had regrouped with the others at the stream. Through a haze, Helen looked up, finding the black coat of the unicorn almost immediately. The proud mare was upright once again, four ropes now settled securely about her majestic neck.

Magnus's throat constricted as she stumbled, only just managing to retain her balance before she crashed to the ground.

"We've got ourselves another captive," the man next to Magnus laughed gruffly, relaxing slightly. "She let the little bugger go, and she's the only one who knows where it is."

"At least we have this animal to compensate 'till we can get her to talk," one of the men holding the unicorn down said.

Helen saw her chance. She lunged away from her captor, the rope tearing free of his grip. Twisting her body around, Magnus snagged the trailing end so it wouldn't be caught easily, and continued toward the gurgling brook. A gleam caught her attention as shouts and exclamations tore through the air behind her.

Knowing that she only had seconds, Helen slid to a stop, leaning down to grip the handle of her knife, which she had left lying on the bank. With a sudden surge of energy, Magnus lunged forward, hurtling toward the captive mare.

Expecting the woman to make a bid for freedom, the men were not expecting her to charge almost directly toward them. She had already sawn through one of the ropes by the time they were able to comprehend just what she was doing.

"Stop her!" her former captive screamed, practically falling off of his mount as he struggled to grab her.

The second rope snapped under Magnus's frantic cutting. She attacked the last two ropes in conjunction, tearing at the fibers that were wrapped together inseparably. She felt first one strand split, then another. With one final, savage rip, the ropes fell away, freeing the unicorn. The mare wheeled, preparing to take flight. She hesitated for a second, looking at Helen.

A crack split the air, and Helen fell, a sharp cry echoing from her mouth. The mare turned and leapt forward, bounding across the stream in a single leap. With one final glance behind her, the proud creature disappeared into the forest, a single whinny piercing the air.

Blood trickled out of the bullet wound in Helen's shoulder, the metal capsule buried against her shoulder blade. She groaned as she rolled over, the knife still clutched in her shaking hands.

The blade was ripped from her grasp, and she was once again hauled to her feet. She could vaguely tell that someone was yelling – no, screaming – at her, but her mind would not focus on them. She feebly attempted to twist out of the hands holding her upright. She was shoved to the ground, and kicked in the stomach.

Pain flared through her entire body, the walls and barriers that she had erected around her mind splintering, allowing all the agony that she had been holding back into her mind and body. A second crushing kick made contact with her ravaged abdomen. Her vision flashed red. And then everything went black.

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I'm not even going to make a conjecture concerning when the next chapter will be up. If it's taking me forever, don't hesitate to hound me or complain or something. Just let me know that you're getting antsy, and I'll try to pick up the pace all that I can. Thank you so much for sticking with me, even though I feel I've been a terrible author for you guys. Well, that's enough of that. I hope you review on your way out :)