Subject: Alone in the dark Date: Sun, 21 Jun 98 20:55:50 -0400 From: Stana tried to consider her options calmly. She was beginning to realize that this was not like any dream she had ever had. Which led her to the conclusion that perhaps she wasn't dreaming at all. There are times in people's lives that something so inexpllicable and challenging happens that one rises above themselves to meet that challenge on unearthly grounds. This was not one of those times. It was however scary and confusing. Stana was not at all comforted to know that she had feelings after all. She'd rather be oblivious. She pulled a little further back into her emotional barrier and set her mind to task. Clip had headed westward. She couldn't hope to find help there. The Unicorn had made no bones about his dislike for humans. Stana filed that away for reference. She certainly never inteneded to assume nobility for Unicorns again! She heard a long wail far off and ghostly. Then again. The sound was familiar and made her uneasy. She strained her ears and her mind to place that noise... And then it hit with the force of a motherload of bricks. There was a child in these woods crying! Lost? Alone? Abandoned? Stana took herself in control. Mothering instinct pushed alot of the fear out of the front of her mind. She was still scared, but not nearly so much as the little kid must be. She had to find that child before the wolves did...or those Unicorn hunters! She didn't suppose that people cruel enough to hunt mythical (albeit arrogant) beasts would show any mercy at all to a lonely kid. The only problem was that it was increadibly dark, and her view was so limited. Sound could have beeen bounced off these trees and the child could be anywhere right now. She didn't dare call out for directions. So she prayed. There seemed little more she could do. "God let me find her." she silently asked "Not that I wouldn't mind the company but it's dark in here and that boy or girl is all alone - I know You have gone after the lost but I don't know the way. Can you show me please?" She opened her eyes and took a step of faith. It was s tiny one but she was moving slowly easterly. CLIP The Unicorn had wasted no time among those dying in the glen. His focus was on finding the Unicorn Princess and quickly. Every five hundred years a Unicorn in the shape of a human girl child was born. This child would grow to become the "mother" of all the herd. When she reached her puberty she reverted to her natural state, and the previous Princess left the herd and disappeared out of memory. Noone knew where they went, but the cycle began anew every 5 centuries. There was a group of Unicorns born and raised, specially chosen to protect this child with their lives. Clip had been one of them. He had refused the duty out of arrogance. He had lived while his friends had fulfilled their oath to die for the princess. There was time for mourning later. The time for revenge would be coming sooner than that. That twenty of his kith and kin had been slaughtered was a wound that pained. That upon their death (or preceeding it he couldn't tell) they had lost their mark of glory-their Alicorns was an outrage that refused to be calmed. Once the Alicorn was removed the Unicorn did not die, as some believed. Their fate was much worse, they reverted to their nonmagical state. They became human. Mortal. These spent the rest of their now mortal life pining away after a vague memory. They lost their memories of immortality. They lost their souls. Clip fought down the fury that threatened to send him raging madly into danger. He had sensed magic in that field. And disavowed Unicorns had no immunity from mages' wares. At best he could hope to be resistant to spells, but the certainty of even that was not there. It didn't matter. He would find the princess. And then he would avenge the dead. The Unicorn heard her crying. He slowed, dragging his injured leg slightly. Caution was warrented here, and was quiet. He shuffled uncomfortably and inched through the blanket of night. STANA Whether through divine intervention, or dumb luck, no trees had jumped in her path yet. Stana was thankful for whatever the reason. The crying had continued on and off, and as horrible as it sounded, she was glad to hear the kid break out wailing. It let her know there was still life left. She was sure it was getting louder but feared to trust her ears. She was trying to follow as best she could, and only hoped that the Lord would see her struggling down here and take pity. If not on her than on the kid. There was a muffled yelp as she stumbled over a tree root. And then she was falling, splayeagled into a small dark sheltered grove. She smelled it before she saw it. Burning, musky. And the salty tang of blood. Acrid and terrible. She felt sick to her stomache, she wanted to vomit. Instead she looked up, and the sight of what she saw ripped her heart into shreds. "Clip?!" she nearly sobbed, stumbling over to the body, turning the man-Unicorn over. She felt the blood on her hands as she touched his forehead. There was no bump. There had been a slight betrayal of a horn before she was sure...how else could he retain the magic to revert.... There was no horn! Stana started to cry, she had tried to stop this, and had failed. Clip had died regardless of what she had done. And she had had nothing but nasty thoughts to think while he lay here bleeding to death- Bleeding? Frantically she searched for a pulse, if he was bleeding that meant his heart was pumping. He was still alive then. Yes-yes she found the beat, slow and sluggish...too slow. She nearly started crying again but stopped herself angrily. She had to- Appalled Stana stopped. She had no concpet of what to do. A cut- a small scrape she knew how to help along, but there was mortal injury here-she had no clue how to help this. He would die regardless. Just then he moaned, moving his arms weakly. "PClip!" she called softly "It's me! Clip you're hurt bad-tell me what to do please!" He whispered a name, not hearing her request. His breathing was labored, harsh. Not knowing what to do, paniking she put her mouth to his ear. "Clip!" He jerked, dark mirrorlike eyes opening wide in pained recognition. There was a dazed lost look in those closed eyes. Lost and afraid. "You're wounded." she told him "hurt bad, the bleeding--" "The moss..." he forced out, choking on the words. His reminder slapped her frantic mind into action, she slammed her backpack down, and tore it open finding the ziplock bag. If she could keep him alive long enough for him to tell her what to do...if he knew. ::nevermind that:: she thought firmly ::he has to know:: "It'll be allright Clip." she told him. "Tell me how and I'll help you."