Chapter 2
The Test
I was now flying towards my forest. My new bed. My room for the night. I landed at the trail I always took and followed it. The trail twisted often, but it was fun to run on. At least, as a girl it was. As a Unicorn, the trail was very narrow. I brushed by spiky bushes and sharp sticks. I tried walking to avoid getting poked, but finally gave up and ran the rest of the way. I crept cautiously through the high grass and finally made it to my favorite spot. I looked all around me, to make sure no one else was around. Then I walked through the cool night air and out into the open. I was in a small clearing.
A herd of deer had slept here many times and had flattened out the grass. There were many trees that hid the secret place from view. At least, from the view of unwanted guests. You would only find it, if you accidentally stumbled across it. I stumbled across it the first time. You would also find it if you were actually looking for it. I had been looking for it, that's why I found it this time.
I lay in the cold, fresh grass and breathed deeply. I pressed my horse-like face into the grass and made my scratches sting. I had cut myself many times running along that trail. But this time, being so big and wide, the cuts were uncountable. I was not laying on my side, for fear I might flatten my friend. I gave a little whinny and settled down for some sleep.
But sleep did not come. Oh no, not that night. I lay there listening to the wolves howl and the crows caw. The night was frightening as a Unicorn, and it had barely begun.
Suddenly, I thought I saw something in the shadows, but when I turned to look, nothing was there. I looked every which way but did not see anything moving. A brown flash out of the corner of my eye. I whipped my head around to find no living creature. I stood and kept an eye out for danger. The wolves were quiet. It may have been only nine o'clock, but it felt like twelve. I shifted my weight to the other side and caught movement again. This time to my right. I jerked my body around and snorted. I whinnied loudly, trying to scare it off. A flash of brown to my left. Flash of gray to my right. Black to my left. White to my right. I was terrified. I was trapped. No way to run! I reared on my hind legs and felt my friend slipping off my back. I quickly landed on all four hooves, terrified, lonely and cold. I looked around me but no longer saw any movement. I did not move a muscle. The unknown dangers were lurking near, I knew it. Something brown moved in front of me. It was in the tall grass, but I saw a tail. It was not a tail covered in fur, yet it wasn't bare skin. It was scaled. I shivered because of the cold and the dread. I did not know what it was, but I was not about to back off. It crept closer, its tail coming into sight every now and then. A lizard's nose poked out of the grass. It was much bigger than a lizard, but that's what the nose reminded me of. Slowly, it peeked its whole head out. It definitely looked like a lizard. The rest of its body came, and I found the creature intriguing.
"Hello," it said.
I heard it in my head, but it wasn't quiet and soothing like the Unicorn's voice. I snorted and stood right where I was. It smiled and pulled the rest of its body out of the tall grass. It was much bigger than I had originally thought it to be. It's eyes were yellow, and they glared at me. A smile spread across its face, and its eyes brightened in color.
"Ahh, so you are not the one I am in search of. Where is she?!" The last sentence was more of a command than a question.
I stayed silent, not knowing what to say. The creature shifted on its hind legs. It unfolded its leathery wings and cocked its head to the left. Then it slowly stood on its hind legs and glared at me.
"My name is Frasd. Not that you need to know." The voice was obviously that of a male, strong and bold. He glared at me again. "But, I have come in search of another of your kind. Her name is Quint. Have you seen her?"
I had no intention of telling the likes of that large lizard, and I let him know it. "I don't know what you are talking about. I am here for a peaceful sleep, and here you come interrupting it. I have no time for games, so good night." With that, I lay in the grass. I made sure to lay against the tall grass, and not on my side. The tall grass drooped over my back, and hid the girl from view.
The creature quickly said,"It is unwise to upset a Dragon. I will see you when the sun rises." With that, he unfolded his wings and flew into the air, disappearing into the night.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I did eventually fall asleep.
I woke the next morning, an hour before the sun. "Good, I can get out of here before Frasd comes back."
I stood and stretched, while checking the girl on my back. She was waking up also, but much more slowly. I told her to tie the rope tighter, and she did. Then I took off into the sky. It was hard dodging the trees and branches, but I made it out into the clear air. The morning was cool, and I was fairly wet once I'd cleared the trees.
"It must have rained last night," I said to myself.
I flew over Lake Fisher. At just the right moment, I turned and dove down. Faster and faster I went, until I stopped myself. If I hadn't stopped a second sooner, I would have plunged into the lake. But now I was gently skimming the water and slowly flying toward the sky again. I flew straight up and watched for the small sparkle. I spotted it and flew with all my strength. I heard the sound of wings behind me, but the sound was far away. I flew faster, flapping harder. The girl on my back held onto my sides and closed her eyes. Closer and closer we came, closer and closer to the sparkle. I flew on and on. It was coming closer. I could barely see the outline of a unicorn. Just a little closer. Suddenly, my head hurt. My wings gave way, and I tumbled out of control. A Dragon whirled under me, having caught me from behind and given me a good knock to the head. The girl on my back struggled to free herself and jumped off my back. She quickly turned to a Unicorn and flew towards the sparkle. I wanted to call to her, but I was fading out. I couldn't see anything. Nothing was there. Everything was black.
I woke. It was dark, and we Unicorns cannot see well in the dark. I blinked my eyes, blinked again. My head hurt, and I was lying on my side. I moved my legs. They were in working order. I flexed all my muscles and stretched. Yawning, I slowly stood. I looked around me, still trying to see something.
A small stream of sunlight appeared, and it grew. A door was being opened, and the sunlight was coming through. I heard a raspy voice, and a small lizard ran into my room. At least, it was small compared to the Dragons. It was about half my size, and could walk on two legs. It was on its two legs at the moment, and I watched it scamper around me. Finally, it stopped and leaned against the wall to my left. I turned to face it.
"Evening. Name's Gafht. Now, you're here and I'm here. Follow me nice and quiet, and I'll get you somethin' to eat. Okee dokee?"
I stared at him in amazement and found myself slowly nodding.
"That's a good girl," it said, then waddled out the door.
I followed him out into the sunlight. He led me through a forest, until we came upon a waterfall. He walked behind the waterfall, and I followed. We walked into a cave behind the waterfall. It was candle lit and made it hard for me to see anything. We came upon a large door, and the lizard motioned me to stop. He opened the door, and scampered inside, closing it behind him. I heard talking inside, but it wasn't a language I knew. The lizard came out after a few minutes and told me to follow him inside. I walked into a large bright room. The ceiling was glass, and the sun streamed into the room. Across the room was a large golden Dragon with big green eyes. He sat on his haunches, and glared at me. The lizard was quickly approaching the Dragon and motioned for me to do the same. I put one hoof in front of the other and finally stopped. The lizard beckoned me frantically with his small hands to follow him. I stood where I was. He glared at me and ran to the Dragon. I heard him whisper something to the Dragon. The lizard went flying toward the nearest wall and slumped against it, clearly unconscious. I glared at the Dragon as he smiled.
"Come closer."
I stood my ground.
"I said,'Come closer!'"
I made no move to obey. He yelled at his guards in the unknown language, and they came running up to me. They prodded me with their spears and growled. I stood right where I was and did not move a step.
The leader Dragon that had thrown the lizard into the wall said,"Get the Bridle!"
Two guards stumbled out of a room and ran towards me. I bucked and kicked, but the dragons grabbed me. They held me down, and put the bridle on. The bridle was pure silver and looked heavy but felt light. I kicked again and hit a Dragon. The rest ran for safety. The leader dragon snapped his fingers, and I stopped kicking. Something about his snap was mesmerizing. I stood perfectly still as he laughed.
"This," and he motioned toward my bridle,"Is the best bridle you'll ever see. It is the only bridle that has ever been put on a Unicorn, and you are the first. The first Unicorn under this bridle. Oh, how I had hoped it would work. And what a thrill to see it working!" The Dragon chuckled to himself. "Well, you are a feisty Unicorn."
He gave me a strange look, and motioned his guards to take me to the wall on his left. They led me toward the wall, and I had to follow. There was a leather rope attached to a large ring in the wall, and the rope was tied to my bridle. The Dragon spoke with less energy the next time he spoke.
"I am a young Dragon, but I have so much to do in one day. This is only a temporary place. I have a new home being built as we speak. No one else knows of this, and no one else will know. Unless I let them, of course. My name is Clyte. You are a new Unicorn, no doubt about it. I have not seen you before, so I know you must be. I know every Unicorn alive, and yet, I do not recall having seen you before. Please, refresh my memory."
I did not say a thing. I knew better than to talk to a Dragon, for they only cared of themselves. Besides, the bridle could only make me act as the Dragon wanted. It could not make me speak. Dragons were always evil in the fairy tale books, and that's why I would not talk to him.
"Ahhh, the strong silent type. We will get through to you. Just wait, we'll have you on our side." He laughed again, and sighed deeply. Then he tucked his wings closer to his body, and closed his eyes. Clyte was sleeping in minutes.
"I need help. Quint, why did you leave me?"
There was no answer. Not that I was expecting one. I was talking to myself, and I knew I would get no answer. I felt a tear find its way to my muzzle and shook my head. My mane flew effortlessly. The only thing of me that seemed free were my tears. I swallowed a big lump in my throat and straightened up.
Waiting for an hour, I found that no one, not even Gafht, entered the room without permission. No one asked to be let in, and no one walked out. In fact, I was left in the room with only a sleeping Dragon. I finally settled down, and nestled in the corner of the room. The long rope was to the left of the sleeping Dragon in the corner. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but sleep would not come. So I lay there and waited for Clyte to awaken.
Alone with my thoughts, I now wondered why Gafht had spoken to me the way he had. He had not spoken into my head, and he had neither a calm or firm voice. He sounded like a human. I decided that he must have been between a Dragon and Unicorn and that's why his voice sounded so normal. Maybe he wasn't very important and could not talk through heads like Clyte and Quint.
The more I thought, the more memories came back to me. I remembered my mom and family. The way they had scoffed about my make-believe friends. They weren't truly make-believe but real creatures. I shook my head, not wanting to think back to those awful times. I hated thinking about my family. Whenever I thought of them, I got sad. And the last thing I wanted right now was to be sad.
I cleared my throat and stood on all four legs. I worked on the bridle some but found it impossible to get off. I shook my head, banged the wall, everything. But nothing worked. I heard a slight tapping noise above me and looked toward the glass roof. A Unicorn was stepping on the roof, motioning towards me. A loud whinny escaped my mouth. It wasn't just a loud whinny. It was the warning of enemies. Where did that sound come from? I hadn't tried to whinny, and I certainly wasn't going to tell my enemies of the Unicorn. The Unicorn reared and spread her wings. She flew into the sky, just as Clyte opened his eyes. He looked at the ceiling, but by then the Unicorn was long gone.
He looked my way and smiled. "I see you did not mean to whinny. Apparently, one of your friends has found us. That is one of the wonderful things about this bridle. You see, this bridle makes you loyal to me in actions. No, not in thoughts but in actions. Everything you think are your thoughts and yours alone. But all your actions are based on loyalty. Fantastic bridle, isn't it?"
I glared at him and closed my gaping mouth. I turned my head but could still feel him watching me. I heard him stand up and he crossed the room to the door. The door opened, and Gafht came in the room. They spoke in low voices and glanced over my way a few times. Gafht nodded his head and ran in my direction. He untied me and led me over to and through the door. I was led to the opening of the cave. Right before we stepped that last step that would take us out of the cave and into the woods, we made a quick turn to the right. A door automatically opened, and let us into a narrow passageway. We walked through the passage quickly and came into an open grassland. I looked around to find that it was a grass land with a glass top. I was confused, as usual. Gafht must have seen the look on my face, because he turned to me and started to explain.
"We are located under a mountain. Part of these rooms have been dug deeper into the ground than the normal ground level. These mirrors are very special. From above, it will only look like a bunch of grass and trees. From here, the sunlight shines through pure glass. How the Dragons were able to create such a thing is beyond me. They are highly intelligent, artistic and complicated. Aaaah, yes. You are wondering about my voice. I am one of the smaller and simpler of the Dragons. We are called Dajons. I know, strange name. We have lived with the name for hundreds of years. We speak like humans, and look like lizards only twice the size of a golden retriever. We have not been recorded in fairy tale books, because we never let ourselves be seen. At least, not by humans. No humans thought to make us up either, so we did not exist in the human world like you Unicorns and the Dragons. We are proud of our secrecy, and that is one advantage we have against the Dragons. But, enough talk. We must begin the test. Come with me, it's not much farther now."
And so, I followed him. We walked across the spacious grass land, and Gafht found a door at the far wall. He quickly slipped the bridle from my head and opened the door.
"Alright now. You go in there. Do what you're told, or you will be punished. The punishments are extremely harsh here, so do not be disrespectful, disobedient and the like. Get in there now. Don't keep them waiting."
He gave me a shove through the door, and I heard the bang as it closed behind me. I stood there, looking at three Dragons. Each Dragon was glaring. I straightened up and checked each one out. All three were a light gray, muscular and didn't look very happy. The first carried a rock, the second a stick and the third a rope.
The first called to me,"Come. It is time for the test."
I stood where I was, and braced myself for anything. Anything did not come. The first Dragon waited. And he waited. And he waited. I stood my ground and took a step neither forward nor backward. The Dragons stood where they were and did not call out again. I waited, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. And so it went. I stood there, glaring at the three and the three stood there glaring back. We stayed that way for two hours. I was amazed at how much time had gone by.
As a Unicorn, I could tell what time it was. We have a special built in clock. It felt strange to know what time it was without looking at a clock or watch. The information just pops in your head and you say,"Oh my! I didn't know how much time had passed!" It was quite an experience the first time I did it. But once night came, I was tired of being able to consult my ‘automatic clock'.
I wanted badly to fall asleep, but I didn't want to be caught off guard. I stayed awake the whole night. The next day, all three of the same Dragons were still standing. Each one was awake, and they were still holding their objects. I stayed where I was. About noon, I heard Clyte come into the room.
"What is going on in here!" He demanded.
Gafht motioned for Clyte to come to him. Clyte strode across the room and stood before Gafht. Gafht looked tiny compared to Clyte. Gafht had a hushed meeting with Clyte right there, and I saw Clyte's expression go from one of anger to amusement. Though he did not laugh, he looked like he could have. Finally, Clyte waved his hand and dismissed the three Dragons. Then he walked over to me and waved Gafht off when he tried to follow. Gafht left the room, and it was me against Clyte. I stood where I was, even when he motioned me to come towards him.
"Aaah, yes. Silly me, I forgot you are not wearing the bridle." He chuckled to himself, as if it were funny. "Well, so soon you will... Oh, never mind. I will not spoil the surprise. Anyway, come with me. You know as well as I, that I can punish you at the twitch of my tail."
I nodded. He smiled and walked off toward the door. I followed, not know what was ahead.
Before we went through the door, Clyte said to me,"You have passed the test."
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