Then Azaria heard it – a long scraping sound, like a very large unicorn dragging his hoof slowly across the floor of the cave.
“Listen, you guys!” he whispered, his hair standing on end. “Did you hear that noise?”
“What noise?” asked Cassi.
It came again, louder this time. Scrape, s-c-r-a-a-a-a-a-p-e.
“That one,” said Azaria, breaking into a cold sweat.
“Stop it, Gaelan!” ordered Jemmi. “You’re scaring me.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Gaelan’s voice rose in pitch.
“Well someone did,” Jemmi whimpered.
“Quiet,” Azaria said.
The yearlings froze. The ominous sound came again, only this time longer and slower ... and much nearer.
Azaria backed away. “Darius, is that you playing a trick on us again?”
The sound moved closer.
“Darius?”
S-c-r-a-a-a-a-a-p-e.
“Let’s get out of here!” Azaria cried. The unicorns bolted from the cave. The scraping sound grew stronger and faster. Leaping into the light, they galloped for several lengths before Azaria dared look back. There, to his horror, a monstrous grey Rexus stumbled toward them, growling fiercely.
“We’ve got to get back to the herd,” Azaria shouted, “but they’re so far away! Quick!”
They galloped as fast as their hooves could carry them, sweat pouring off their sides, their breath heaving. Azaria measured the distance to the herd with his eyes. They were still too far. He glanced over his shoulder again to gauge how close the Rexus was.
“Wait,” he said, slowing to a canter. “There’s something wrong with this Rexus.”
The others slowed too, eyeing the Rexus with curiosity.
Bones protruding through its skin like skeletal branches of a dying tree, the Rexus hobbled toward them. It eyed the unicorns, drool slithering from its mouth. Singling out Jemmi, it staggered toward her. Jemmi screamed. The Rexus snapped its huge jaws, and the young filly ducked to the side. It tore at her with its razor-sharp claws, but she leapt away as it lurched forward.
The herd came thundering from afar, shouting threats at the Rexus, Darius close behind.
“They’re still too far. They’ll never get here in time,” whimpered Gaelan. “We’ve got to help her.”
Azaria stared back at the scaly monster, paralyzed. He opened his mouth to scream when something burst from behind him. It was Darius!
“How did you get here so quickly?” he asked.
Darius ignored him and faced the Rexus.
Cassi let out a shrill whinny. “Now he’s going for Darius!” She closed her eyes.
“Oh no you don’t, you old bunch of bones,” yelled Polaris, closing the distance between them. He lunged at the Rexus and tore through the great beast’s heart with his horn, ripping the shriveled skin as though it were mere lichen. The Rexus stared down to see its scarlet blood oozing from the wound. It spun around, gazed up at the sky, and then toppled to the ground dead.
The unicorns trembled in the aftermath of the attack, their breath heavy, their faces etched in fear. Tears rolled down Jemmi’s white cheeks.
“Haven’t we suffered enough without this?” she sobbed. “So much has happened. And now this. What if there are more Rexus?”
Jemmi’s dam moved closer to soothe her, but it was Darius’ words that calmed her.
“There aren’t. I’m the last of the dinosaurs,” he said, his voice gentle.
Azaria was stunned to see how composed Darius was after what had just transpired. “You weren’t the slightest bit afraid, were you?” he asked, his head cocked to one side.
“No,” said Darius.
“But why not?” asked Gaelan. “You could have been killed.”
“Because I knew it wasn’t my time,” said Darius.
“What do you mean?” asked Azaria.
“I haven’t fulfilled my life’s task yet. I’m going to live to be very old.”
“But you’re the last of the dinosaurs. Doesn’t that make you sad?” asked Jemmi, her tears beginning to dry.
“No, because I have all of you.”
The herd was quiet for a moment. Then one of the mares spoke. “And we’re glad we have you too.”
Blinking back tears, the unicorns moved forward and laid their horns affectionately on Darius’ sides.
Azaria stood back from the group, feeling glum.
He heard Cassi say, “Hey, how come Polaris can kill with his horn? I thought horns healed?”
“Because he was angry,” said a mare.
“So when you’re angry your horn can kill?”
“Yes, it’s very powerful.”
Azaria watched them saunter away, their words drifting off in the distance. His heart was heavy. He had noticed the leaves on the trees growing thinner and thinner, and that there were fewer ferns.
Certainly not enough to feed a long-necked dinosaur.
Bowing his head, he vowed to keep what he knew to himself – that Darius would soon have to move on to find food.
Chapter Eight
New Arrival
Azaria stood in the cool river, the chilly water tickling his lips while Gaelan, Nathaniel, and Zackary splashed about nearby.
There had been talk of the other unicorns joining Polaris’ herd. The leaders had said they’d be safer in greater numbers. Zackary and Nathaniel, his two cousins, had been with them for days, and Azaria hoped they would stay as each moment had been packed with adventure.
Dipping his head in the river to drink, he flinched when something sharp struck his nose. His curiosity piqued, he watched as a strange object swept past him and floated into a small backwash.
“What was that?” he asked, turning to his friends.
“I don’t know,” said Gaelan, moving forward and cocking his head to one side. “It looks like it’s made of trees.”
“Yeah, but I’ve never seen anything so straight coming from a tree,” said Azaria, wrinkling his brow.
“It’s weird,” Nathaniel said, following close behind Gaelan.
Catching site of Polaris, Azaria called out, “Father, look. What is this?”
Polaris inspected it and poked at it with his hoof. The thing dipped down in the water and bounced back up. He pushed it with his nose only to have it drift away.
“I really don’t know!”
Feeling a sudden rumbling of the ground, Azaria turned to find Darius. “So you know what this is?” he asked.
Darius lowered his head, his eyes widening in terror. He backed up two steps, breathing in large gasps. “A box!” he whispered. Twisting around his massive body, he broke into a run.
Azaria followed. “Darius, what’s wrong?”
“They’re coming!” Darius said, rivers of sweat pouring from him.
“Who?”
“The creatures-that-walk-on-two-legs!” the dinosaur called back, his voice trembling as his powerful legs shook the earth.
“But you said all the dinosaurs were gone. The Rexus are dead. They can’t bother us anymore.”
“These creatures are far more dangerous than the Rexus, especially the Ishmael. You have no idea. I’ve got to hide!”
Azaria watched his friend flee, then swung his head and glanced at the herd. When he turned back, the dinosaur had vanished.
“Darius, where did you go?” he called.
All he heard was the forlorn whistle of the wind.
A few days later, they came. Azaria and Gaelan’s ears flicked nervously as they watched the large floating boxes they traveled on, land near the shore.
“The creatures-that-walk-on-two-legs are pretty strange,” said Gaelan. “Kind of small too.”
“And they’re hairy, but they don’t have pelts like the other animals. And did you notice the males have manes like lions but not the women?” asked Azaria.
“Yeah, they kind of look like monkeys!” Gaelan broke into a chuckle.
“Only bigger. And what’s tha
t covering their bodies?” Azaria said, eyeing the false skins they wore.
“I don’t know.”
Azaria watched as one of the creatures raised an arm and pointed to the giant floating boxes, roaring like a Rexus, his black hair thrown back. The others scrambled to unload them.
“Hear the garbling noise they make? It sounds like it has patterns. Do you think they actually have a language?” asked Gaelan.
“I guess so.”
They watched from afar while the beings unpacked their belongings, taking them out of yet other boxes. The angry one with the dark hair, seemed to be in charge, growling and waving his arms about in a frantic manner.
Within a few days, they were constructing long, hard box-like objects from the sand that they piled one on top of another. One full moon later, a small group of straight cave-like dwellings had sprung up on the banks of the river.
“I didn’t know you could make things like that with trees and sand,” said Azaria.
“Me neither. But how do they do it?” Gaelan’s brow creased.
“It seems they have hands that can hold things.” Azaria stared down at his own hooves like he had never seen them before.
“Just like monkeys,” Gaelan repeated his joke-grown-stale as though it was the funniest thing in the world. He laughed himself silly until Azaria gave him a stern look.
“Think maybe Darius is wrong?” asked Azaria.
“I don’t know. They look pretty harmless. To tell you the truth, I don’t think they’re even interested in us.”
“Probably because they have those other animals – those things that Mohala calls big-hooves,” said Azaria.
The unicorn-like creatures that accompanied the humans fascinated Azaria. They were larger than the unicorns, but came in several different colors and had the biggest hooves he’d ever seen. He wondered if that was what gave them their great strength when they pulled heavy loads. But stranger yet, was that they actually obeyed the creatures-that-walk-on-two-legs! When the creatures ordered them to move, they did. When they insisted the big-hooves stop, they did that too. Azaria simply couldn’t understand why these beasts lived and worked when they could be free like the unicorns.
Then one day, the angry one sat down in the long grass and watched the unicorns, entranced. He stayed there for the entire day, only to return the next day, and the next day after that.
“He’s too close.” Azaria let out a nervous rumble.
“But he’s not doing anything,” said Gaelan. “A lion attacks quickly after seeing its prey.”
“Yeah, but these aren’t lions.” Azaria scraped his front hoof nervously.
“But look at them. They don’t move fast and they don’t have sharp claws or teeth.”
“If Darius said they were dangerous, I believe him,” insisted Azaria, loyalty burning fierce in his heart.
“I guess time will tell.”
Several weeks later, it almost seemed as though it had when Polaris addressed the herds.
“Some of you have been concerned about the creatures-that-walk-on-two-legs and wondering what we should do. I’ve been watching them now for quite some time. They haven’t made any advances on us. So I think we can all relax and live in harmony with them as we have for generations with other animals.”
“But what about Darius’ words?” called Azaria. “He told me they were worse than the Rexus.”
“Yes,” agreed Aurora. “And he’s been right about everything else.”
“But he fled before even seeing them,” Polaris said. “He could be mistaken. It could be another creature that hasn’t arrived yet – a much larger one that walks upright. But honestly, I don’t think this is it.”
The other mares mumbled in protest.
Polaris continued. “But just so you’ll all feel comfortable, I’ve decided that our herds will stay close together in case Darius’ words turn out to be true. Even though we’ll be three herds, it’ll be as though we’re one. That way, we can protect one another.”
Nathaniel, Zackary, and Gaelan exchanged excited glances.
Azaria felt uneasy as his father dismissed the group. He had always followed Polaris’ words blindly. Could it be that this time his father was wrong?
Chapter Nine
Ishmael
“They’re lovely.” Ishmael raked his fingers through his dark beard as he sat, mesmerized by the beauty of the unicorns. “This could be just what I’ve been waiting for all along.”
The fireball’s terrifying arrival had deeply affected Ishmael. His town had lost many people to the devastation. Hundreds had died of starvation and others of the diseases that snuck in like a thief to rob the folk of their loved ones. Ishmael’s home like many others’ had been swept away like firewood by the great hurricanes, leaving his family destitute. What was far worse than the desolation was what it had done to change the townsfolk. Ishmael had seen honest people marauding, stealing, and beating others for food. Tempers flared and people attacked neighbours for a mere morsel. At first, Ishmael had been horrified, but then decided that he, like the others, had to survive no matter what the cost, and so he hardened his heart. After all, this was the way of the new world.
He had gathered up the survivors and argued with them that there was no other choice but to leave and start again elsewhere. At first the townsfolk resisted, but his silver tongue soon convinced them. They built rather modest boats, packed up their meager belongings, and grudgingly set forth to find the new site for their village, one where they could again prosper.
It had been hard. The boats were not solid and the humans not sailors. Several of the vessels were lost including two of Ishmael’s. The townsfolk had floated down the river for weeks. When they finally arrived in the unicorns’ valley, that gloriously warm day, it seemed like a paradise. The sun shone brightly, the storms had abated, and all was lush and green.
“This is where we’ll start over again,” Ishmael declared to the survivors, acting as their self-appointed leader. He stole a glance at his wife, Adiva. She picked up their child and walked away, her lips pressed together in a tight line.
Ishmael gazed greedily at the unicorns. Wanting wealth and respect, he had never been content to simply grow his crops and survive off the land. He was no farmer. He’d been a merchant before the fireball, selling goods until there were none to be had. Before leaving, he had gathered up several horses left to fend for themselves, the owners being too unwell to take notice of their livestock. Transporting these large beasts on the small barges to the new valley proved to be no small feat, but he managed to carry about a dozen to safety.
Gazing at his small herd, he shook his head with impatience. “It’ll take years to breed these horses,” he said aloud to himself. “I want riches now. I want everyone in the streets to admire me when I walk by.”
Ishmael turned his attention back to the graceful unicorns that grazed before him. At first their beauty had mystified him. He had sat and watched them gallop through the valley, their shimmering manes and tails flowing in the wind; their spiral horns ornamenting their heads like jewels. How majestic they were. How extraordinary! What great beasts of battle they could be if trained to use their horns as weapons against their enemies’ horses. He could become a general, leading his unicorns in attack against some future foe all the way to victory. The town would hail him a great hero, and he would be the envy of all.
As the sun lowered in the sky, Ishmael rose to his feet. It was decided – he must have one.
“Utterly beautiful ... and very valuable indeed!” he said, his bulbous nose wrinkling up into a greedy sneer.
Chapter Ten
The Capture
The thundering sound of hooves and the strong smell of sweat roused Azaria.
“Polaris, wake up!” neighed Nathaniel, bathed in foam, his sides heaving as he galloped into the herd.
Azaria shivered at the crispness of the air. Dawn was just creeping in.
“What is it?” Polaris grumbled.
&
nbsp; “He captured them!” Nathaniel brayed. “He captured all of them!”
“Who?” Azaria heard his father demand.
“The creature-that-walks-on-two-legs. The angry one who kept watching us. He surprised us before dawn. He had several others with him – they came out of nowhere! I’m the only one who escaped.” Nathaniel wheezed.
“What did he do to the unicorns?” Azaria asked.
“He chased everyone into some ... thing. It’s like trees tied together. Once you’re in, you can’t get out,” he said between gasps.
“Show me where!” Polaris roared.
Nathaniel reared, ready to charge, and then stopped, his hooves in mid-air. “But, Polaris,” he said, “I haven’t told you the rest.”
“What?”
“The other humans ... they call him … Ishmael.”
The Great Stallion’s eyes grew twice their size.
“Darius was right,” Azaria whispered to Gaelan who had crept up beside him as the herd awakened. “I knew we couldn’t trust the creatures-that-walks-on-two-legs.”
Polaris eyed Nathaniel gravely, and then stared at the blinking mares, calculating. “Then we’d better wait until we’ve studied the situation. Stay with us, Nathaniel, and be one of us. In the meantime, we’ll come up with a plan to help Solomon. Azaria and Gaelan, you’ll be the messengers between our herds. As for the rest of you, stay far away from the creatures-that-walk-on-two-legs. Do not let them come anywhere near you. Understood?”
The unicorns whinnied in agreement, their voices rumbling with apprehension until the sun rose, softening the nightmarish feelings of the capture. Then they began planning.
That night, Polaris, Azaria, and Gaelan snuck on quiet hooves to where the tied trees held their friends captive.
“How strange,” said Azaria, eyeing the structure. “It really is made out of trees.”
The Legacy Page 5
