Chapter 11
Withstanding the Tests
About ten minutes after Brayan had stormed off, a male unicorn came in. He opened my cage and jerked me out by my mane. Then he stomped off down the hall, and I followed him. He led me to a small, closed up room. No window and only one rug. It was better than the cage, so I didn't complain. I cuddled up on the rug and was able to sleep for an hour or so. The squeaking of my door awoke me, and I looked up at Brayan.
"Come on then. We have so many things to do. No sleeping," he said, his voice firm.
I turned to human, smiled and stood up. Brayan grabbed my arm roughly and shoved me out the door. I turned to watch him close the door. He closed the door with one hand and grabbed my hand with the other. He spun me around, making me lose my balance. I stumbled after him, trying to regain my balance.
"Hold on!" I said.
He stopped and stared at me.
"I meant, please hold on," I mumbled.
He waited for me to stretch my arms and roll my head in a circle. Then I stood up straight and waited for him to walk. He ran off across the floor, and I found myself barely keeping up with him.
"Can't we go any slower, Master Brayan?"
He kept running. I shrugged and tried to breathe deeply. I was getting side cramps, and my throat was starting to hurt. Brayan came to a quick stop, and luckily I was five feet behind him. I had just enough time to keep myself from crashing into him. I stood, bent over, out of breath. Brayan knocked on the door, and a Centaur answered it. He smiled when he saw Brayan and looked over Brayan's shoulder to see me.
"Aaah, someone for training?"
Brayan nodded, and I shook my head angrily. Brayan looked back at me and saw me shaking my head. He glared at me and turned back to the Centaur.
"Yes, she is. No matter who she thinks she is, she's here for training." He turned back and gave me a triumphant smile.
I stood up straight and tall, and said,"That's right. And you just remember, that when I can do everything you can't, don't ask me to help."
The Centaur's mouth dropped open, and Brayan winced. I bit my lip. I hadn't meant to say it. I was trying to make a good impression and should have been glad for another chance.
"Ummm... I didn't mean it, Master Brayan. I'm sorry," I mumbled.
He rolled his eyes, and said to the Centaur,"She's a little disrespectful, but you can work with her on that. Now, train her like everyone else. Just as hard. No easier, not even because she's a girl. Got that?"
The Centaur nodded his head vigorously and grabbed my arm. "We'll make her behave." He smiled a mischievous smile and pulled me through the doorway. Shutting the door behind us, he walked over to a nearby door. He turned human and leaned against the door.
"How can you turn human, sir?" I asked.
He smiled and said,"We all can. We don't have to start as humans to turn human. But it does take a little getting used to. Walking on two legs, I mean."
I nodded and motioned to the door as I spoke. "What's in there?"
His face suddenly turned very serious and he whispered when he spoke. "That, is the night watchers test. I am supposed to test you in everything. You will be left in there for four days and four nights. The room has a glass ceiling, and day and night will come regularly. There is a big forest. You must make camp and guard yourself from vicious predators. We have Unicorns, Centaurs, and people watching the forest at all times. You will never spot one of them, so don't even try looking. You must forage food, make camp, protect yourself, and last the four days and nights without the help of the Watchers. We call the Unicorns, Centaurs, and people that will be watching you, the Watchers. Got all that?"
"Yeah, I got it."
"Good, just remember one thing. The animals in there are real. None of them are fake. They will attack, so stay awake during the night. And above all else, stay safe."
I nodded and turned Unicorn. The human turned Centaur and was reaching for the door knob.
"Ummm... What's your name?"
The Centaur hesitated as he said,"Marwes."
"Great name. Thanks. Mine's Sariah. See ya when my test is done."
He nodded and smiled a sad smile. Then he opened the door. I walked through it, my jaw hanging open. The door closed behind me, and I saw Marwes waving at me. The place was huge! Trees were everywhere. The sun was just rising, and everything was peaceful. I jumped up and down a few times, then changed to Unicorn. I ran into the forest. I didn't feel safe in the clearing where the door was. I ran for about two hours straight. I ran and ran, but never saw a wall. What freedom and adventure! I stopped to catch my breath and saw some squirrels scamper up trees. I ran until I found a beautiful stream. The stream was in the middle of a green meadow. I ran into the meadow and gulped down the fresh water. Lifting my head, I tilted my horn into the sun. It glittered and sparkled.
Something to my left caught my eye. I jumped and held my head down. I would cut into whatever it was with my horn if it tried to harm me. When nothing moved, I decided not to worry about it. I waded into the small creek. It was just wide enough for me to fit in it. My front hooves almost touched the opposite shore, while my back hooves almost touched the other shore. I stomped and splashed in the cold water. It was freezing but felt good after I'd been running and sweating. I ran down the creek, following it, splashing in it. Suddenly I shuddered. I looked to the sky but saw nothing. I stopped, but the sensation had only lasted for a moment. I shrugged and decided to be more careful. I ran on down the creek until I felt it again. I stopped dead in my tracks, and whatever it was moved on. I whipped my head from side to side and was ready for battle. Nothing was around. I shook my mane and followed the creek farther down. I ran and ran. After about five minutes, I stopped. Whatever it was ran past me. I felt it to my left. I ran to my left and into the thick trees. I could feel it just ahead of me, and I ran on. Faster and faster I ran. It wasn't far off now. I could only feel it. There was nothing to see. I'd already tried to see it. Something wasn't right. I ran straight ahead. The creek wound around and into the trees. I was running right for the creek, and so was the thing. A shadow crept over the creek and disappeared into the shadows of the trees again.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" I screamed. "Shadow! It's something. A shadow. Ummmm... It's a-a. What is it?!"
I stopped running and turned around. I galloped back the way I had come. Something was wrong. I wasn't running toward it, yet I felt it again. It was coming towards me! I ran faster, not able to scream. I was out of breath, and my heart was pounding crazily. The thing wasn't gaining, but it was still pretty close. I measured it to be about fifteen feet behind me. I ran and ran, trying to breathe. I leaped into the air and quickly changed to Centaur. It was much harder to maneuver around the trees, so I changed back to Unicorn. The thing was following me. It wasn't stopping. I would be out of breath soon. There was only one choice. I noticed a clearing to my left and made a semi circle around a tree. I ran straight for the clearing, untucking my wings. Once in the clearing, I knew I had lost precious ground. The shadow was nearer than ever before. I jumped and soared into the air. I was flapping hard and quickly gaining altitude. The thing didn't follow me.
"It can't fly!" I said to myself. I laughed as I flew above the treetops. "Won't get me now, will you?!" I laughed again and flew on.
Zipping up into the air. I could see nothing but blue. Of course, the blue was only the blue walls. The ceiling was clear, and I flew up to it. Skimming along the glass ceiling was a wonder to behold, but something awful happened next. I got tired. I was tired of flying and was exhausted from my run from the shadow. I tried to ignore my aching muscles, but I knew I would not be able to fly forever. I swooped down to the forest and tried to hide among the tall grass. After a while, I got used to the quiet. The wind was like my mother whispering a lulla-bye to me. The stream nearby sounded like the tinkling of the music box that sat on my dresser. The grass around me felt like my old quilt at home. Yes, I fell asleep. Not a good thing to do with shadows around.
I couldn't breathe! Kicking, trying to breathe. I couldn't! Something was holding my mouth shut! I was dreadfully cold and was slowly suffocating. It wasn't long, before I had to stop struggling. Whatever it was let go and let me sink to the grass. I tried to open my eyes, but I was too weak. I inhaled, and a rush of air swooped down into my lungs. I started coughing and gasping. I opened my eyes, shuddered at the cold around me, and noticed that the sun was still shining. I felt the hand over my mouth again and froze. It slowly came away and rested on my mane. It combed its fingers through my mane, yet I could not see it. I could only feel my mane being lifted from my neck and dropped on it again and again. Finally, the thing spoke.
"Roses are red, violets are blue, you're an ugly creature, and I am too."
I held my breath as its hand traveled from my mane up to my ears. It fiddled with my black forelock and ran its fingers down my face. I lay there, letting it do what it wanted. I would not fight it. It could kill me, that much I knew.
"Roses are red, violets are blue, you're an ugly creature, and I am too."
I wanted to ask the creature hundreds of questions, but I feared for my life. I stayed motionless. The only move I made was the gentle rise and fall of my sides as I breathed. The creature ran its fingers up to my forelock, and they tightened around my ears for a second. Then the fingers lifted off my ears, and I heard the faint rustle of grass being stepped on. I did not move for two more minutes. I finally twitched my ears, and looked behind me. Whatever it had been was no longer there.
I breathed a sigh of relief, and heard a voice in the distance call,"Watch the sheep, do not sleep!"
I looked around me, but it was already obvious I would not see it. The thing was invisible. Well, almost. I drew in a ragged breath and then another.
My normal breathing rate eventually returned, but not after a full half hour or so. I walked through the woods. There was no hiding from this strange little being. Drinking deeply of the water I found in a nearby creek, I made sure to watch for a shadow moving across the water. I did not spot one, and nothing surprised me. I stood from my refreshing drink and tried to decide whether I was crazy, or the shadow was real. A shadow slowly moving across the water to my right, convinced me the shadow was real. I unfolded my wings and jumped into the air. Up I went. I felt something cold brush against my neck, but only for an instant. I was soon too high for it to reach. The sun was setting now, and I would not be able to see the shadow without light. It wasn't exactly a shadow. It was always around, whether it was among shadows or in the sun. I didn't know what kind of a shape it was, or how it came to be. I didn't know if it belonged in the forest, or if it was the only one of its kind. All I knew, was that it wasn't good. It was cold, evil, and definitely had no good intentions. I flew around and could feel the cold from way up there. It was traveling along at a fast pace. Luckily, I was in the air, and it was on the ground. I could feel the cold through my hooves from way up in the sky. I caught glimpses of a shadow crossing the creeks. Flying after it, I was determined to discover what the thing was. On and on I flew, until I reached a tree taller than all the others. The shadow crept up the tree and disappeared near the top in the leaves. I looked for it but wasn't able to see anything. I turned around and flew back the way I had come. I would not be able to spot the thing any more that day, because the sun was fully gone. I would not see a shadow, and it would do me no good to make camp near its home. I wasn't positive that the tree was its home, but I had a pretty good guess that's what it was. I found a place to lie down in a dense part of the woods. I didn't want to be discovered easily, so I flew to it. Lying down, I thought about the shadow. Why had it not killed me when it had, had the chance? Why was it so cold? What did it want with me? Was it a part of the forest? Was it one of the ‘predators' I was warned about? Why couldn't it fly? Was it truly invisible? Why did it appear as a shadow in the sunlight? Where did it live? Did it live in the tree? Why was I not warned of it in particular? How did it find me? Why did it speak in rhymes? What was up with the ‘do not sleep' and ‘watch the sheep' warning? I sighed, and thought of at least twenty more questions. I could find no answers and decided to try to sleep. Just as I was almost in a sleep, I heard the rhyme in my head again. It wasn't said out loud; it was a memory. ‘Watch the sheep, do not sleep!' That's what it had said. But what did it mean?
I jerked my head out of the grass and stood shakily to my four hooves. I stretched my wings and rose into the air, up through the treetops, scratching my wings, ripping out feathers, and finally soaring over the trees. I scanned the dark forest below, looking for any sign of a sheep or lamb. I saw nothing of the sort. I saw little birds in their nests, wolves roaming the forest in their packs, and a lone bear foraging for food. I did not find any sheep. There were none, which made the rhyme even more mysterious. How could someone protect sheep if there were none? Why couldn't I sleep? Why couldn't I sleep, if there were no sheep to protect?
I yelled into the cool night air,"Why can't I sleep, if there are no sheep?"
I heard the faint sound of wings to my left. I turned, to feel the cold sensation of the shadow.
"Do you disobey and, rebel when you don't understand?"
I heard the voice, loud and clear. But nothing was there to say it.
I said,"To the floor, may we go? You and me, ever so slow?"
"If that's what you want. After that, I must hunt."
I nodded and hoped it could see me nodding. Then I swooped toward the nearest clearing. The clearing had a creek running through it, and I landed to the right of the creek. I felt the cold beside me and waited for it to speak.
"Why does this trouble you so? Where are the sheep, must you know?"
I quickly said,"Yes I must, I have lots of trust. But in you I don't, so not sleep I won't. Just tell me why, I'll soar to the sky. Stay up all night, I'll be polite. Why can't I sleep, if there are no sheep? Where is the danger, you creepy stranger?"
I had the strangest idea that he was cocking his head to the side as he spoke.
"Trust me you don't? Trust strangers you won't? When they help you out. Will you scream and pout? Do you see sheep? I sure don't. Go ahead and sleep. But I sure won't."
"Where is the danger, you creepy stranger!" I yelled at him.
I imagined him smiling mockingly as he said,"Trust you must, or see you won't. Trust you won't, so see you don't."
I was really angry, but I felt the wind from his wings as he rose into the air. I flew up after him but couldn't find his cold little body. He was nowhere to be found.
"I'll soar above the great green trees all night, waiting for you to appear in dawn's first light," I yelled into the forest.
I wasn't the best at rhyming, and I didn't really care. I would discover what he meant by sheep. I would discover the sheep without trusting him. I would find the strange little creature, and I would do something to him. What, I did not know at the time. But I would scare him like he scared me. I would be mysterious, something unknown. I would be scary, and he would be scared.
The sun eventually rose high enough for it to shine down through the glass ceiling. I watched for the shadow, but he did not make himself known. I flew over all of the creeks, but he did not walk through them. I kept a wary eye out for him. I also made myself ready to dive at the first hint of a cold current. Nothing happened for an hour, but I did not lose hope. At least, not until five hours had gone by without a trace. I looked around, trying to figure out where the shadow could have gone. I thought up the questions I would ask the queer creature, and the way I would ask them. All of my questions would be in rhymes. I had not tried talking to him regularly yet, but I didn't think he'd respond to regular sentences. I soared over the forest, and ignored my throbbing wings and the sore muscles in them. After a couple more hours, I thought maybe he'd left the forest. Suddenly, I felt a freezing cold under my hooves. I was standing on something solid. I stood up straight and tucked my wings in. It was time for the questions.
"Name of yours, will you tell? Talk or whisper, scream or yell."
The firm nothing under my hooves shifted a little, but I kept my balance.
"Dangers below, wary you must be. Talk very low, I'll let you see."
I shifted and thought about flying off. Every time I met with this creature, he made me feel uncomfortable. "Tricks you must not play. Make me a promise this day. Hurt you won't, trap you don't. Stay out of reach, then may you teach."
He laughed and said,"Rhyming is not your gift, I see. I would leave and let you be. But help you must get. And so I am your teaching pet. Follow me, but not too close. You'll see strange things, and some you won't. But all in all, keep in mind, that whatever we may find, they are secrets that must be kept. Then will you see what would have happened had you slept."
I nodded and felt him begin flying down. I spread my wings and pushed off his back. He shrank and shrank. I could feel the cold getting farther away, so I quickly dove towards it. I didn't want to lose track of the creature. I would learn nothing if I did not know where the creature was. I landed in a creek beside it. It was in the shape of a Centaur. I could see its shape as we walked across the creek.
I stopped and said,"Your name I must know, before any farther we go."
He sighed and said,"Klyste be my name, from Zooloo I came. Protect you I will, protect you until, you see the sheep, and learn not to sleep."
"Walk we must, you have my trust."
His shadow shifted, and I saw his head turn towards me. "Thanks a lot, but believe you do not. Believe you must, you cannot only trust."
I looked towards the sky for a minute and lowered my head to say,"Believe and trust I must. I believe, I trust."
His shadowy head nodded, and he walked on. I followed close, but not too close.
"Why must we speak in rhythm and rhyme? It does not save us any time."
"I do not hear, without the rhyme, the rhythm just makes it more fun. I do not fear, about the time, but now I am saying,‘Run!'"
He took off running, and I leaped across the grass. I ran and ran. Leaping and jumping, dodging and zigzagging.
"Jump we must! You gave me your trust. Believe you do, so follow to Zooloo!"
"Trust I gave! Believe I do! Follow I will! Take me to Zooloo!"
We ran and ran. He had my trust. I believed and trusted, and that was all I could do. I did not like the shadow, but I had no idea what would happen to me if I did not cooperate.
"Why run we must? Why must I trust? Why should I believe? Do you deceive? Why to Zooloo we go? Why can't I know?"
"Too young are you, to understand. Just follow me, give me your hand!"
"Hand I will not give, till promise you make!"
"I'll make, I'll make! But hand I must take!"
I turned Centaur and thrust my hand out to my left. The shadow grabbed it, and the trees vanished. A vast field appeared where the trees and streams had been. "Believe you do, welcome to Zooloo. Trust us you will, that is, until..."
Good ending to the book? I thought so. But, don't worry yourself yet. I'm writing 2 more books. That's right, this is going to be a Trilogy. Please email any comments you may have about this book to Me. Thankz!
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