by Owen Black
Thane began to respond but instead only retaliated with a glare.
Trussil cleared her throat loudly to regain the attention of the room. She glanced over at Thane and shook her head a bit.
The teacher then addressed them once more, “Alright now. As I was saying, this is Alia. I’m sure you all remember when we stumbled upon her not too long ago. Although she is already sixteen she is going to be coming here for a bit to get adjusted. I would appreciate it if you would all make her feel welcome.”
Thane was surprised. He had not guessed she was older than him.
As was their tradition, when children of Avryndale turned sixteen they stopped attending school and took up professions in the village; usually working alongside their parents in common trades such baking, weaving or farming. A few even elected their own path. This was a common rite of passage of sorts. Although not looked at immediately as adults, those who came of age are expected to contribute more and, in turn, were given more freedom.
Although his father had urged him to make a choice of his own, Thane felt pressured to be something great. His father was the king after all. He had led them here, saved a number of lives and even in the face of the recent dangers, he had kept their faith and respect. Thane thought of himself as rather ordinary. No profession called to him, he was always distracted and despite his best intentions, frequently seemed to get into trouble. The mountain of pressure grew as his birthday crept closer. He wondered if perhaps that was what had caused the headaches but, either way, they had seemed to get better, having not bothered him for several days.
Trussil pointed out an empty seat on the opposite side of the classroom from Thane and he watched as Alia walked to her seat. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He felt ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it. He had been fond of girls before, but not like this. She was a magnet. She was amazing. But he wasn’t. She would probably like someone else. But then, just as he stated to doubt – it happened. She turned and looked at him and smiled. He smiled back. In fact, he smiled the rest of the day.
***
Later than night, long after the winter sun had set, a fire crackled and tossed smoldering glowing ash up the chimney chute. Mordigal and Trussil were seated in front of the fireplace on a thick, dark wool rug that occupied most of the floor in the small den of her home. They were cozily wrapped in blankets to fight off the cold winter air that had descended upon the village.
Mordigal laughed and picked up one of the goblets nearby and took a sip of warm cider. It was delicious. He loved cider, especially when it was hot. There was just something about it.
Trussil grinned and shook her head then took a drink from her cup as well.
“Poor Thane, you should have seen him,” she then said. “It was priceless.”
“It sounds like it! Girls can make fools of the best of us you know.”
“I think you are all hopeless to begin with!”
They laughed together and then his face turned serious.
“You know I was thinking,” Mordigal began. “I really believe you made the right choice when you left. I can tell you really love being around children.” He looked into the fire and lowered his tone. “Obviously not something we could have had by ourselves.”
Trussil touched his arm and captured his gaze; she knew what was running through his head. “It worked out for the best. Funny how things seem to work out isn’t it?” She smiled. “With you here, I have everything I could want.”
Mordigal appreciated her words but quickly changed the subject. “Speaking of Thane, listen there is something we need to talk about.”
“Okay…let’s talk.”
He thought a moment then began, “I hadn’t mentioned this before…I was hoping to be sure. There was a chance I imagined it, somehow lost track of things, but I talked to Thane. He thinks he ran away then blacked out and forgot what happened, but, well, that isn’t it.”
She was puzzled. “What are you talking about?”
“That first night when I went to Thane’s room, he didn’t just get away, and I didn’t just let him.”
“And…?” she prodded.
“He vanished. It’s like he was there one second and then gone the next. Almost like he wanted to be somewhere else and then he was. I was in his room when it happened…the air…it was tingly…gave me goose bumps. It was filled with magic.”
“Magic? Oh come on you can’t be serious. He just vanished into thin air? Did you slip something into your cider?”
“I’m not kidding! I think he can somehow travel at will. In the blink of an eye.”
Trussil scowled and pondered what he had told her. She then said, “This is crazy. I have been around him for years and have never seen him do anything like that. He is an incredible runner but I think you are getting a bit carried away.”
“I know it sounds insane and I don’t believe in magic or fairy tales any more than you do but according to legend the only creature that can do that is—”
“Oh please Mordi!” Trussil blurted when she realized where he was leading her. She refused to give in. “I mean, he doesn’t even have a…”
Mordigal hung on her unfinished words. “Have a what?”
“The headaches!” Trussil declared as she jumped to her feet. “Come on. We have to go see them. Now!”
***
Thane had been tucked into bed for nearly an hour but sleep had avoided him because his thoughts had been fixed on Alia. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? Maybe Javan was right, maybe he was crazy. She was a rabbit after all. He knew he was getting ahead of himself, but still…he had to be realistic, they were too different to be together.
He shook his head, disappointed in his infatuation. This was unlike him, most boys his age had developed a crush or two by now but his only one so far, which he would never admit, was on Lady Trussil herself. He grew out of it of course and never told anyone. He wasn’t too ashamed; he knew a lot of the boys had crushes on her at some point. He wasn’t so different really. Since then, he had rarely even thought about the girls in the village. A few had flirted from time to time, especially Marga Hillbothum, but she looked better in her animal form and she was from a family of swine!
Quiet voices in another part of the house stirred Thane from his thoughts. It was late for visitors, something was wrong.
He slipped out from under the covers and lowered his feet to the floor. The cold wooden surface chilled his toes and made him shiver. He was wearing his winter sleepwear but he could tell this night was perhaps the coldest yet. He reached back and grabbed one of the blankets from atop his bed and wrapped it around his shoulders.
He slowly opened his door, just a crack, and peered out. His mother was just closing the door to the house behind Lady Trussil and Mordigal who were obviously relieved to be inside, away from the elements. He quickly closed the door to his room then leaned in and placed an ear to the surface. He heard heavy footsteps pass his door. That had to be his father.
“A bit late isn’t it?” Avryn asked.
“Shhh…don’t wake Thane!” His mother replied softly.
“We need to talk about him actually,” Lady Trussil said quietly. “Mordigal, well…we think he might be…”
Thane scowled. He could not make out the last part of what she said. He pressed his ear against the door harder. It creaked a bit and he winced.
“I would think we would have seen if something was wrong,” Avryn said.
Mordigal jumped in, “I don’t think wrong is the right term. Have you seen anything different about his animal form?”
An awkward silence fell over the room. Thane could not hear anything from the other side of the door. Were they whispering? What did they mean - something was wrong with him? His pulse quickened; maybe they had heard him. He and was about to dart back to his bed when his father spoke.
“Oh come now, this is ludicrous,” Avryn said. “Is this because of what happened in his room that night you showed up?”
His mother then said, “Look, why don’t we just go get him and put an end to this nonsense? He can just show you himself.”
“I’m sorry if we upset you,” Mordigal replied. “I am sure this is all a bit alarming but we need to…”
Thane scowled when he could not make out all of his words. Footsteps approached and he backed away from the door. They were coming. He panicked.
***
Felia gripped the handle on the door to Thane’s room. She hesitated and then glanced over her shoulder at Avryn who was waiting in the main room. He nodded.
She knocked softly on the door, “Thane honey.” She waited for a reply but only silence lingered. Felia rapped once again then slowly pushed the door open and walked in. “Thane? Sorry honey we need to—” A few seconds passed and then she yelled, “Avryn!”
The group quickly darted into the room. They stumbled upon Felia standing bewildered as a bitter cold wind blew through the open window and whipped her long brown hair around her face. The boy was gone.
“Not again!” Avryn roared before he then ran to the window and peered into the darkness. He pulled the shutters closed and turned to the others. “Felia, you and Trussil stay here. Mordigal, I might need you to track him.”
Chapter 16
A strong gust of chilled air sliced into his skin like a wave of needles. Thane glanced at his feet, sure enough, he looked ridiculous. He had left behind a coat but had grabbed his brown fur-lined boots that unfortunately looked quite out of place with his thin white sleep shirt and knickers. I truly have lost my mind, he thought to himself as he darted around another house.
The village was dark and appeared deserted, a result of the winter storm that was moving in from the west. Fortunately Thane didn’t have far to go.
After a brief run, he arrived at a small, simple house that was tucked behind a bakery shop where the residents practiced their craft. Although it had been closed for several hours, the smell of fresh goods lingered and made his stomach growl. No lights were visible; they were likely already asleep.
Thane walked around to the right side of the building, creeping along as he peered through shadow; moving like a thief seeking some wondrous treasure. When he turned the corner he spotted a pair of shuttered windows. He stood for a moment, pondering his next move. Knowing his luck, he would choose the wrong one and come face to face with Mrs. Hoppensey, or perhaps even worse - Mr. Hoppensey. His parents would kill him.
Shrouded in darkness, Thane approached the rear window near the back of the house and stared at the shutters. He could feel his heart thumping against his ribs. Despite the cold, sweat trickled down his brow. He closed his eyes, knocked lightly, and hoped.
The silence was broken by whispers from inside. They were young voices, children perhaps. Maybe he had gotten lucky.
“At the window, I heard something,” a young boy said. “Go look!”
“You go look,” a girl said. “It’s too cold.”
Someone grumbled inside and he heard movement but Thane couldn’t tell what was going on. He then heard a scraping sound and the shutters buckled. He backed away from the window a bit, just in case.
The shutters parted a bit and the face of a small boy peeked out through the crevice. He was cute, with short brown ruffled hair, a round face and a tiny nose. It was Fopo Hoppensey. He was perhaps seven or eight, Thane wasn’t exactly sure, but he knew him from school.
“Hey what are you doing?” the boy asked, puzzled.
Thane glanced around then replied, “I need to see Alia.”
“What for? It’s freezing!”
Thane heard a whisper and then saw movement deeper in the room. The boy then groaned and disappeared when he was quickly pulled away from the window. Alia poked her head up in his place. She was wrapped in a blanket while her long golden hair was blown about by the wind. It was to his horror that Thane then realized that he had no idea what he was going to say.
“Thane?” she asked. “Have you lost your mind?”
Stunned, he just looked at her for a moment. Finally he replied, “Maybe so. Listen, can I come in for a second? It’s really cold.”
“No you can’t come in! We are sleeping you loon.”
Thane frowned and looked down at the ground. He was beyond embarrassment. “I’m sorry, it’s just – oh never mind. Sorry I woke you.” Embarrassed, he turned and began to walk away.
“Oh hold on a second,” she called after him. “So what’s going on? Is something wrong?”
Thane stopped and returned to the open window. He was not sure what to say.
“How did you find me anyway?” Alia then asked, curious.
He smiled. “It wasn’t hard. The Hoppenseys are the only rabbits in the village. I figured they took you in.”
“Well good thing you didn’t knock on the other window. Mr. Hoppensey probably would not approve of visitors at this hour. So what’s this all about any way?”
“Well, see…some people came over, Trussil and Mordigal, the wolf. I heard them talking with my parents about my headaches, like something was wrong with me…with my animal form or something. They were going to look me over but before they got to my room I ran over here. I know it’s stupid but I feel different. Maybe something really is wrong. I guess I thought… I don’t know what I was thinking really.”
“Well that doesn’t make much sense. You are a strange one Thane – that’s for sure. Your morph is a horse, right?”
“Yeah,” he replied shyly.
“Well come on, let’s see it before we wake everyone up.”
Thane backed away from the window and glanced to the front of the house once more. It was still clear. He knew they would find him soon.
When he looked back to the window he saw two faces had appeared next to Alia, first the boy and then the girl. She was nearly identical to her brother except for her long hair that was pulled into pigtails. They stared at him, wide-eyed and curious.
“Get on with it!” Alia demanded.
The clouds parted high above and for a brief moment they were bathed in soft glowing moonlight. He took one last look at Alia and then closed his eyes. He was about to morph when he heard voices near the front of the house.
It was now or never.
Seconds later Thane peered down at the ground and saw his hooves. Sure enough he had done it. So what was wrong with him? He felt the same, well, he felt the power in his legs and the pull of the tail that now dangled from his rear.
He lifted his head and looked at the three faces in the window. They were staring at him, with jaws agape, clearly bewildered.
Alia leaned out from the window, stretched out an arm and motioned for him to move closer.
“Oh wow!” she exclaimed.
Startled by her words, Thane took a step back.
“Don’t worry, you are fine,” she encouraged. “Come a bit closer, you’re ok.”
He walked forward, within her reach, and watched as she grinned and then reached out and touched his head. Well, it felt like his head. It tickled.
***
Avryn and Mordigal stopped when they heard talking in the distance. They panted from the run, sending small puffs of fog billowing into the cold night air. Moisture landed on Avryn’s face and he looked up and spotted tiny white flakes falling from the sky. It had begun to snow.
The two men looked at one another anxiously as they tried to decide where the voices had originated. Mordigal focused his senses and then pointed to the far side of the bakery. Without hesitation they sprinted around the corner.
There, at the farthest end of the building, partially illuminated in a sliver of moonlight, stood a gleaming white horse. It was Thane and he was not alone. A girl, Alia, was leaning out through an open window and appeared to be petting his head.
They walked a few steps closer and then, in unison, froze in their tracks. The girl was touching a most unexpected thing - a coiled horn that sat atop his head, tucked between his ears.
“Now do you believe me?�
�� Mordigal asked.
Avryn remained silent while his eyes were fixated on what stood before him. His son was a unicorn, something that only existed in legend. He wanted to speak but it was a rare moment when the great orator could not find words. He was in shock.
Alia spotted the two men and gasped, causing Thane to look in their direction.
***
Thane turned back to the girl whose hand had not left his head. She appeared fascinated. He didn’t understand; he wanted to go home. He never should have left his room. He felt his gut clench. His vision then grew cloudy, the world turned black and then he was suddenly blinded by a flash of light.
***
Avryn took a step closer and then, in the blink of an eye, Thane, along with the girl, vanished. All that stood before he and Mordigal were tiny specks of white snow falling gracefully through the blackness of night. The men then ran to the window and spotted two wide-eyed tiny faces, a boy and a girl, peering out at them in disbelief.
Chapter 17
Trussil struggled to calm Felia down as the women sat on Thane’s bed, their faces illuminated by the small flame that bounced inside a lantern on the floor. They had stayed behind in case the boy had returned but nearly a half hour had gone by without a word.
Trussil noticed that Felia was fighting back tears so she gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Oh don’t worry, it will be fine,” she assured. “Thane is just going through a phase.”
Felia sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, this really isn’t like me. I just don’t know what to expect next from that boy.”
“He will be fine. He is just stretching his legs or visiting my latest pupil.” Trussil grinned and added, “I would bet on the latter.”
The night then took an unexpected twist when suddenly a small glowing white sphere about the size of a fist appeared in the center of the room. The women noticed it immediately and stood up in unison.
