A/N: This story takes place in the continuity of the The Last Unicorn's 1982 animated film adaptation, while also utilizing elements from the original book and its sequels. It takes place, however, in an alternate timeline from Two Hearts and Sooz.

"Good shot, my boy!" yelled the old hunter, patting his younger partner on the shoulder.

Using his hunting bow, the young hunter had made a perfect bullseye from eighty paces of the makeshift target, the arrow lodged perfectly in the center.

"I learned from the best, of course." he smiled.

It was a calm afternoon outside the Lilac Wood, with warm weather and no clouds in the sky.

The old hunter nocked an arrow in his bow, ready to take his turn, when he stopped and looked around.

Two years ago, leaves started falling from the trees for the first time in centuries, and snow soon came after. The old hunter did not like this. The leaves still littered the grass under the canopy. It was as if the magic that had protected the forest had weakened.

"What's eating you then?" asked the young hunter. "Something bothering you, old timer?"

The old hunter shook his head.

"It has been a long time since this forest was green. I fear something has happened to the unicorn."

"You're not going on about that again, are you?" asked the young hunter inquisitively. "The leaves will grow back again in the spring. Just as with any forest."

"But the fact that the leaves have fallen at all is concerning. The trees have been green for hundreds of years. They would not suddenly lose their color. Not unless something terrible has happened."

The young hunter looked around.

"You make a good point." he said. "Actually, I've seen a lot more animals in the woods too. Including deer."

"So have I." said the old hunter with a grim voice. "More proof that the unicorn has left the forest, and took the magic that hid the animals with it."

"If there is a unicorn in these woods, or was...maybe it died?" asked the young hunter.

"Don't speak nonsense, Peter." said the old hunter. "Unicorns cannot just pass away like you or me. They are immortal beings. Unless something deliberately killed one, they will continue to live on forever. And most people with impure hearts cannot even find a unicorn, or even believe that one exists. So I can only conclude the unicorn left of its own accord to go elsewhere."

Peter nodded.

"Perhaps so." said Peter, inspecting his hunting bow. "But I think I must go. I have business back at home. My bowstring looks like it may snap at any moment. Good night to you."

"Good night, Peter." said the old hunter.

As the two hunters parted ways, a withered brown leaf in the oak tree nearest to the old hunter's cottage suddenly came alive and full with a green hue.

Hundred of miles away, in a small camp perched on a hill under the crescent moon, King Lir woke with a start, crawling out from under the shabby gray tent to take a whiff of the fresh night air. His body was soaked with sweat and he was out of breath. He had a troubling dream. One that had plagued him endlessly for over a year. In the dream, he was a forgetful old king whose servants and friends coddled over him like a child. Who had grown complacent from decades of obsessing over his beloved Lady Amalthea from afar. He had sent men to slay a griffin who was terrorizing a village, but none returned. Then after being visited by a young girl from that village, he went to kill the griffin himself, wishing to die a warrior's death. But as he lay dying from his wounds, he saw her again. The unicorn he loved. He talked to her a great deal in his final moments, before finally accepting his fate.

King Lir asked many people in his realm, every fortuneteller and self-proclaimed wizard he could find, to discover what the dream meant. They all came to the same conclusion: That if he stayed in his kingdom, he would never know peace. He would never be able to live a satisfied life. He would become old and senile like he was in the dream. He left his loyal men-at-arms and his other servants in charge of his adopted father's old kingdom so he could seek out the unicorn. He didn't care if he never found her. He wanted to go out and seek her instead of wasting away in a castle, fruitlessly waiting for her to come back to him. He refused to share the depressing fate of his dream self.

"I will find you, Amalthea." he sighed. "Mark my words. I will find you, and we will be happy together."

"Soyer! Wake up!" said Peter, stooping over and shaking the old hunter as he rested in his bed.

"What in blazes has gotten has gotten into you, boy?" growled the old hunter.

"You must see for yourself!" said Peter. "I...I couldn't believe it either. But it's a miracle."

After the old hunter put on his clothing and boots, he went outside with Peter and looked out into the forest. He was stunned to see the entire forest had regrown its leaves overnight, even though it was the middle of autumn. A bright, vivid shade of green.

"My God..." said the old hunter.

"What did I tell you, Soyer?" asked the young hunter. "Nature sure is amazing, isn't it?"

"This was no act of the natural world." said the old hunter. "This could only be one thing."

Magic, he whispered to himself. A unicorn's magic.

Later that night, atop a small hill overlooking a pond, the unicorn sat on the grass, bathing in the moonlight and reflecting on her adventure beyond the forest. She felt regret, which was not something that unicorns usually felt. Not only because of the hardships she encountered on her journey, but also the fact that she had been away for so long. The Lilac Wood had started to wither and age in her absence. She looked at the autumn leaves drifting lifelessly in the water, then to the trees which had laid bare for months when she return and were only now flourishing again. To the cave nearby, where animals that were hibernating for the winter were now emerging into the new warmth. Then finally, she looked back into the pond at her reflection.

The old hunter walked under the dark canopy of the forest, alone and unarmed. He did not feel worried about running into any wolves or bears. If the unicorn had indeed returned to the forest, the animals would all be hiding from him, or any other human who would hunt them. It wasn't until he came into the clearing that he finally found an animal. It was a slender white horse, drowsily looking into the pond. He approached it curiously.

"Could this be…?" he muttered to himself as he walked towards the mare.

He suddenly stepped on a branch. The horse's eyes widened and she turned around alert. The hunter held up his hands.

"Please, good beast. do not be alarmed." he said to it. "I do not wish to harm you."

If it wasn't the unicorn, he wasn't sure if actually talking to it would have worked. And even if it was the unicorn, he still wasn't sure if it would heed his words. The horse looked at him with wide eyes. He noticed that the horse's head seemed suspiciously deer-like and its cloven hooves were like those of a goat. But where was the horn? Did he actually stumble upon some rare breed of horse?

Then he looked down. The moonlight betrayed the beast, for he could see the shadow of a long thin cone-shaped horn protruding from the shadow of the animal's forehead.

"So you are the unicorn." he said to it. "Well met, good beast."

As he looked up, he could now see the horn on its forehead, as well as a purple star-shaped marking surrounding it. Its purple eyes were still wide and alert, scrutinizing the hunter closely. Its mouth was quivering as if it wasn't sure if it should speak or not.

"Please, speak to me." said the hunter. "I do not wish to harm you, only to talk."

Then the unicorn finally replied. It was now looking at him with a surprised glance, as if it had remembered him from somewhere. It spoke to him in a misty feminine voice.

"Well met, stranger." she muttered to him, her legs now standing perfectly erect. "It's truly a relief to have someone to talk to for once. What brings you to my forest?"

The old man gave the unicorn a respectful bow.

"I am but a simple hunter. I apologize for my intrusion in your forest. But I could not help but notice that it started to feel like...like spring here again. It was sorely lacking for months."

"I apologize for that." said the unicorn, with a solemn look on her deerlike face. "I was…away."

"Away?" repeated the old man.

"Indeed." nodded the unicorn, who was frowning.

The old man looked at the troubled look on her face, and in her eyes.

"What happened to you?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "Please tell me!"

The unicorn stood there silently, looking up at the sky.

"Yes, it's true. I…I left the forest. I traveled far. To find the other unicorns."

The hunter's eyes widened.

"Incredible." he said. "Were you able to find them?"

"Yes." said the unicorn. "But I encountered many dangers in my journey. Some of which still haunt me. Do you have time to hear them?"

The hunter nodded.

"Very well."

The unicorn told her guest her story. About how she overheard the hunters talk about how she may be the last unicorn in the world, how she left to find the others, how she met Schmendrick the Magician and Molly Grue, how she was turned human for a time. How she fell in love with the human prince Lir, and finally how she defeated the Red Bull and freed all the unicorns that were imprisoned in the sea by King Haggard.

The hunter sat on the ground, taking it all in. He had a mixed expression on his face.

"That was an exciting adventure, my dear." he said to her. "You were brave for going on such a quest."

"Brave, or perhaps foolish." frowned the unicorn. "I have felt the bitter taste of mortality, and even now I feel my newfound emotions fighting within me. I am not like the other unicorns now."

"Don't talk like that, milady." said the hunter. "It wasn't foolish. You did save your kind, didn't you? Then it wasn't in vain. You made great sacrifices and suffered much, though. I do feel sorry for you."

"I thank you for your sympathy, hunter." said the unicorn, nodding her head.

"Lady…Amalthea." the hunter said, recalling her given human name. "It is a beautiful name. Fitting for a beautiful creature such as you."

The unicorn smiled weakly.

"Ah, thank you." sighed the unicorn. "Schmendrick gave me a wonderful name, indeed."

"And you may call me Soyer." said the hunter.

"Soyer." said the unicorn. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Yes, I remember you too. You were the hunter that came to my forest, with your young partner. It seems like a lifetime ago."

"Peter." the hunter added. "His name is Peter. A fine lad, with much potential. He still does not believe a unicorn actually lives in this forest. But he is still young. He will learn in time."

Amalthea the unicorn snickered.

"Perhaps I should introduce myself to him, and get it over with now? Though he would only see me as a white mare. That's how most people see me. Only those with pure hearts or those who possess a magical essence of their own can see me without aid."

"Or by seeing your shadow." nodded Soyer. "The moonlight betrayed you, unicorn. Or perhaps it was the fact that I already believed you to be a unicorn?"

Amalthea turned her head down and looked at her shadow.

"So it would seem." said the unicorn. "So now you can see me for what I am. What is it you plan to do?"

Soyer slowly walked up to her, and knelt down on one knee.

"You told me your story, now I wish to tell you one of my own." Soyer said to her, making direct eye contact.

"Oh, really?" Amalthea said, surprised.

She looked at him with her eyes wide open.

"Years ago, there was a man. This man had a daughter, a sweet and kind lass with a thirst for adventure. She loved listening to her father tell her stories of the unicorn that his great-grandmother once met. She always wanted to go out into the world and meet one herself."

"Really?" asked Amalthea. "And did this girl ever get to meet one?"

Soyer shook his head sadly.

"No." he said to her. "A few days before she would have turned thirteen, she fell ill with a horrible sickness. She went to bed, hoping to recover, and fell asleep...but she never woke up."

Amalthea's eyes widened. There was shock and sorrow in them.

"How horrible."

"Yes, indeed." said the hunter. "Ever since, the father dedicated his life to finding a forest that had a unicorn in it. Eventually he did find one, though he no longer had a daughter to bring to the unicorn. It was bittersweet for him."

Amalthea bowed her head.

"That is a sad tale. Whatever became of the father though?"

Soyer sighed.

"He built himself a nice little cottage outside of the forest, and still lives there to this day." said Soyer. "For despite everything, the unicorn that lived there held a special place in his heart. It is like...finding a toy that your child always wanted. But now you no longer have a child to give it to. So now you hold onto that toy, because it reminds you of your lost child."

Amalthea blinked in surprise.

"Ah..." she looked at him. "You are the man in the story, aren't you?"

"Yes, indeed." said Soyer. "You catch on quickly. And when I look at you now, I think of my daughter."

Amalthea's jaw hung open. She was overcome with emotion.

"I am…honored that I remind you of your daughter, Sir Soyer." she said to him. "The memory is fond, I take it?"

Soyer smiled, his gray eyes growing misty.

"Yes." said Soyer. "And I regret that it was my conversation with Peter that brought you so much trouble, for it was me saying that you were the last unicorn that led you on such a perilous...excursion. If there is any way I can make up for it..."

"You needn't worry about me, good hunter." smiled Amalthea. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but it was my choice and mine alone to leave the forest and find the other unicorns. You do not need to burden yourself with my troubles."

"Please, milady." he said to her, a hint of desperation in his voice. "It would mean so much to me if I could somehow help you."

Amalthea sighed.

"I do not know if there's anything you can do." she said, with a hint of regret. "I still think about them. The humans that traveled with me on my journey. Schmendrick, Molly Grue, and my beloved Prince Lir. I miss them so. But I knew I had to go back. I was away from the forest for so long. It would have died if I did not return."

"I understand." said Soyer. "And it is a beautiful forest indeed. I do not blame you for wanting to return home. But do you regret what you went through?"

The unicorn turned away, deep in thought.

"Yes, and no."

"What do you mean?"

Amalthea frowned.

"I do regret that I could not stay with Prince Lir, of course." she said. "But it was never to be anyway. He is mortal, and I am a unicorn. Unicorns live forever. If we…if I stayed with him as I am now, I would have to watch him grow old and die. While I stay young forever…"

Soyer nodded.

"That is understandable." he said to her. "But you still miss him?"

A twinge of pain crossed Amalthea's beautiful white face.

"Yes." she whispered. "I do miss him. I...I think I do, anyway."

Amalthea bowed her head even lower. Her face was emotionless, but there was great sadness in her eyes. But even if she was sad, unicorns could not shed tears.

"I loved him when I was mortal, but I don't know how I feel now. These emotions are strange to me. I feel like my head could just burst, like a melon under a smithy's hammer."

Soyer felt deeply sorry for her, and his paternal instincts were setting in. He came closer to her and petted her gently.

"Please don't worry, my dear." he whispered. "I am here for you."

Amalthea listened to the hunter's voice and leaned into his touch. She felt comfortable being around him. Though she was older than him by many thousands of years, she felt like she was being consoled by a caring father. She smiled a little.

"Thank you for keeping me company, Soyer." she said to him. "And for sharing your tale with me, just as I shared mine with you."

"Do you feel better now?" he asked her.

"I think so." she nodded.

"Well I must return home. It is late, and my eyesight isn't as good as it once was. But you are welcome to visit me in my cottage. It is just on the edge of the forest, to the West. If you need any help or wish to pay me a visit, please come find me."

"I appreciate the invitation, Sir Soyer." she smiled. "I may take you up on it too. Good night."

Two days since his meeting with the unicorn, Soyer was chopping logs into firewood outside his home. As he chopped, he chanted a rhyme he heard when he was young:

Two logs, four logs, six logs, eight.

Knobby, bendy, broken, straight.

Willow, pine, elm and oak

Split them with a chop, with a lop, with a stroke.

He stopped to lay down the hatchet and catch his breath when he heard the whinny of a horse. He looked up saw a gleaming silver four-legged silhouette in the distance, its mane blowing in the wind.

"Ah, welcome!" he waved to it.

Amalthea the unicorn approached him, trotting slowly and gracefully.

"Good morning, Amalthea." he said to her.

"And good morning to you, Soyer." she said, stopping and proceeding to sit down on her hind legs. "I hope I wasn't interrupting your work."

Soyer laughed heartily.

"Not at all, my dear. You caught me at a great time. In fact, I was just stopping to make lunch. I make a splendid potato soup, if you're hungry."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful." Amalthea licked her soft lips.

"It won't be long."

Soyer went into the house and got his cooking equipment. He put together a campfire and made a hot soup. He poured the soup into a bowl and laid on the ground next to the unicorn. Amalthea lapped it slowly. She gasped.

"Ah, this is a delicious soup." she said happily. "You cook well, Soyer."

"I would sure hope so." said Soyer. "I've been hunting and foraging in these parts for years now."

Amalthea continued to enjoy her soup. Everything from the aroma to the spices felt exquisite.

"Please tell me, where is your partner? His name was...Peter, yes?"

"Aye, that it is." confirmed Soyer. "The lad is out hunting in the fields South of these woods. It's his first hunt all on his own, though I still had him bring Farley along."

"Farley?"

"My hunting dog." explained Soyer. "He was with us in the forest that day too."

"Ah, yes! I do remember there being a dog." said Amalthea.

Amalthea finished her bowl. Soyer took it and held it firmly in his tough hands.

"Would you like seconds then?"

"Ah, no thanks." Amalthea declined politely. "But I did appreciate the lunch. I can't even remember the last time I had such a fine meal, even at King Haggard's castle."

"I suppose not." said Soyer. "This King Haggard did not seem very hospitable."

"He most certainly was not." frowned Amalthea. "He was a madman if I ever met one. Obsessed with unicorns. He kept them trapped in the sea like fish in an aquarium."

She narrowed her eyes, then closed them and snorted angrily. Then she composed herself.

"However, his son Prince Lir was wonderful." she said, with a happier tone. "Brave, heroic, though his..."

she snickered.

"His poetry needed some work."

"I see." Soyer nodded.

Amalthea suddenly widened her eyes again.

"Don't get me wrong, his heart was in the right place. And he was very sweet to me. And handsome too..."

Amalthea paused.

"And...he didn't even care that I was actually a unicorn. I still remember what he said: I love whom I love."

Soyer smiled.

"Prince Lir sounded like a good man. You don't come across his type often."

Amalthea frowned.

"That is true. But..."

She paused again. She was breathing heavily.

"I...I think I should go."

She quickly got up and started to trot away. But Soyer stopped her, a look of concern in his eyes.

"And where are you off to?"

Amalthea frowned and looked at him, her eyes looking deeply sad.

"It is nothing you need to worry about, Soyer." she said to him with a grave voice. "Please just let me leave."

Soyer blocked her path.

"I said let me go." Amalthea said in a slightly raised voice. "I just want to be by myself."

Soyer looked in her eyes. He could practically sense the grief inside them.

"Amalthea, I want you to look in my eyes."

"What? Why...?"

"Just look." he said calmly. "You don't need to say anything, just look. Focus on me and nothing else. Take a deep breath, steady your heartrate. Calm yourself."

He bent over so that his eyes were level with hers. Amalthea obeyed and stared directly into his gray eyes. She embraced the warmth and love she found within, and started to relax. After a while, Soyer put his muscular arms gently around her neck. She accepted his warm embrace and buried her face in his shoulder, but still did not cry. He comforted her like a father comforting his daughter. There was not a sound between the two of them for a good five minutes.

"Soyer, why do you care for me so?" Amalthea finally asked, a bittersweet tone in her otherwise calm voice.

"I'm a father, Amalthea." he said to her. "It's what we do."

Amalthea chuckled hollowly.

"But I am not your child." she said to him. "And I am definitely old enough to take care of myself. You don't need to protect me."

"Not needing to do something, and not being allowed to do something, are two different things." Soyer smirked.

"Soyer, please don't fuss over me. I won't forbid it, but I am still far older than you. I'm much older than most of..."

"That doesn't matter to me, my dear Amalthea." he said to her. "I care about you too much. Like I cared about my daughter. In a way, you are all that I have left of her. You are her unicorn. You were the one she should have met in the woods, as her great-great grandmother met hers when she was her age."

Amalthea frowned and bowed her head again, totally speechless as Soyer continued to hug her. She did not know what to do about the old man who had developed such a strong emotional attachment to her. She did not know how to feel. She could not even remember her own family, her own siblings (if she even had any). She couldn't help but be reminded of Molly Grue, and how she had cared for her so strongly, especially during her time as a human. After much thought though, she decided to accept him.

There was a galloping of hooves, followed by the barking of a dog. Peter was returning on his horse, with Soyer's hunting dog Farley following behind him. Peter had several dead pheasants and rabbits tied to the saddle of his steed.

"Soyer!" he said with a smile. "I just returned from my hunt! Things went well. Five pheasants and three rabbits!"

Soyer let go of Amalthea and turned to a very confused Peter.

"Ah, I'm pleased to hear it." said Soyer. "You've done well, boy. You'll make a great huntsman yet."

Peter looked at Amalthea.

"Soyer, may I ask why you were hugging a horse?"

Amalthea snorted angrily at being mistaken for a horse. It wasn't the first time it happened to her, but she didn't say anything. Soyer chuckled at her reaction.

"Ah, she's a beauty, isn't she?" asked Soyer. "I was simply enjoying the feel of her nice white coat. Perhaps you should feel it too."

Soyer stood aside, and Peter petted her head and felt her mane.

"Hmm...well, you do seem friendly." said Peter. "And Soyer's right. You do feel very soothing to touch."

He moved his hand down her forehead, when he suddenly felt something.

"What in the...?" he gasped.

He pulled his hand back to reveal a long thin horn that suddenly appeared on her forehead. Soyer was running his fingers through his beard, fighting the urge to laugh.

"There...there really is a unicorn in this forest!" Peter said, breathlessly.

"Indeed there is, Peter." Amalthea said to him, with a playful smirk. "Pleased to meet you at last!"

Peter jumped back so hard, his hat fell from his head. His eyes were wide with shock.

"And you can talk too?!" he screeched.

Peter sat at the campfire, still lost for words, as Amalthea told him the same story she told Soyer the previous night. Soyer nodded every now and then to confirm she was speaking the truth. As soon as the unicorn finished her tale, Peter finally spoke.

"This is...this is all very, very strange." Peter said. "Just the fact that I'm being told all of this by a unicorn of all things is wild enough. But the fact that it all actually happened too?! I don't know what I can say except...I think I owe Soyer an apology for not believing his stories."

He chuckled weakly.

"It is quite all right, lad." said Soyer. "I understand how you feel. Most would not have believed me either. Not in this day and age."

"I appreciate that you listened to me just as well, Peter." said the unicorn. "Not many would have taken the time to listen to a...horse."

"I imagine so." Peter nodded uneasily, turning to Soyer. "What do we do? If other people found out there was indeed a unicorn in this forest, they would come from all over Europe to try and catch her!"

"And most of them would fail." said Amalthea, chuckling innocently. "I am fast and cunning. Only a pure-hearted virgin could catch a unicorn alive."

"Well, I don't plan to catch you." said Peter. "We're hunters, not poachers. We don't hunt anything illegal, and we only take what we need to survive. But there are those who would hurt you. Terrible people who only think for themselves."

"The lad speaks the truth, Amalthea." said Soyer. "For every Prince Lir or Schemendrick the Magician in this world, there may be ten times many more King Haggards and Mommy Fortunas that would wish to exploit or harm you."

Amalthea frowned and bowed her head.

"You speak the truth, Soyer." said the unicorn. "It is important that my presence here go as unnoticed as possible. I've lived here for thousands of years and seen many people both fair and foul in my forest, but I always went to great lengths to avoid them lest they wish to harm me."

Peter paused.

"But tell me, what if this...Prince Lir comes looking for you? Or your other human companions from your journey?"

Amalthea considered Peter's question, her gaze growing distant. She stood deep in thought, looking at the land in the distance.

"Ah...yes, Prince Lir. And Schmendrick. And Molly. I do not doubt they would come looking for me if they knew where I was. But I must still remain hidden until then." said Amalthea. "I know I can rely on you two to keep my presence a secret."

"Of course, Amalthea." said Soyer. "I would protect you as if you were my own."

Peter still looked surprised that he was expected to take such a huge responsibility.

"A shame." he said to himself, clumsily hiding a chuckle. "Just as I would've loved to rub in the fact that I met a real unicorn to Pliny back in Goldenbridge. He said they had the feet of an elephant! An elephant for goodness sake!"

But neither Soyer nor Amalthea paid attention to him. Peter looked at them. It felt surreal seeing the two of them bond like this.

"You...aren't going to adopt her, are you?" asked Peter.

They both blinked at once. Soyer looked slightly flustered, but Amalthea was more playful with her response.

"Maybe he already has?" she said, in a teasing voice. "He has certainly become something of a father figure to me. Even though I am many years older than he, I am still nowhere close to the end of my lifespan. And I can tell from even the short time I've known him that he's a natural at it."

Peter laughed as Soyer's face started to redden slightly from embarrassment.

"So what will you do? Give her lots of sweets when she's a good little filly, tuck her in bed every night and read her bedtime stories? Maybe put her in some pretty dresses and walk her to school? And all the while, she's old enough to be your...great-great-great-great-grandmother or something!"

"Peter, enough." growled Soyer.

"What?" asked Peter. "Don't tell me the thought has crossed your mind."

"You don't need to deny it in front of me, Soyer." said Amalthea. "I know you care deeply about me. And believe me, I am honored that you do."

Then she turned to Peter.

"As for you, young one, are you jealous of me?" asked Amalthea, with a haughty smirk truly befitting her lineage. "That Soyer will have more time for me and not enough for you?"

Now it was Peter's turn to look flustered, and Soyer's turn to laugh.

"Don't be ridiculous!" scoffed Peter. "Why would I be jealous of you? I've been training under Soyer for years! I'm not afraid of someone taking him away from me!"

"Somehow, I doubt it." smiled Amalthea.

"What are you going to do, use your magic to read my mind?" asked Peter.

"Not at all, dear boy." said Amalthea. "I don't even need to. I only need to look in your eyes to see the truth burning inside you."

Peter stood up.

"Oh, yeah?" he growled. "And what do you see? What do you see?!"

"I see an immature little boy trying to make himself seem bigger than he really is!"

"I am bigger! I'm certainly tall enough to match you!" Peter got up.

"Not quite!" said the unicorn.

She tilted her head up and let her horn glow, as if to draw attention to it. But Peter looked flabbergasted.

"That doesn't count! That's cheating!"

"Is it? I think of it as being creative!"

Soyer laughed some more as he watched Peter and Amalthea go at it. It was like the two of them were siblings fighting for their father's affection, with Amalthea being the bossy older sister and Peter the snarky younger brother. But suddenly, he started coughing loudly. Both the young huntsman and the unicorn stopped their arguing and drew their attention to the old huntsman. Peter went over to him.

"Soyer, are you all right?" he asked, with a genuinely concerned tone in his voice.

Soyer coughed a little more, but he nodded.

"Quite all right, lad." he muttered, as soon as he finished coughing. "Some of the smoke from the campfire got in my mouth."

"You should be careful around smoke, Soyer." said the unicorn. "Especially at your age."

"She's right." said Peter. "Perhaps you should go back inside and rest. I'll put out the fire for you."

Soyer smiled as he got up and stretched his arms.

"It pleases me to see that you two can agree on something." he said to them. "You both seem to care about me."

Peter and Amalthea looked at each other puzzled. They each seemed equally shocked that they did in fact find common ground. Soyer went back inside with the dog.