The Lost Immortals

“Father, are there really no more unicorns left in the world?”

“My boy,” sighed the man, “no unicorn has been seen in years. They vanished long ago.”

What? No more unicorns? They must be mistaken. Man never sees the truth. Silverstar perked her ears up worriedly. Surely I am not the only one? Just because man hasn’t seen a unicorn in a long time doesn’t mean I’m the only one. Silverstar shook her head. We are immortal. We don’t simply vanish. They must be mistaken.

The boy and his father kept on riding down the path and disappeared from sight.

Silverstar looked around. She must find someone who had seen another unicorn beside herself recently. She cantered off through the forest. 

She came across a small stream, trickling through the undergrowth. Silverstar paused and lowered her head to drink, when a small voice asked her, “Milady, would you mind tellin’ me we be?”

Silverstar lifted her head. It was a butterfly. They were known to be frivolous creatures, and they loved to travel everywhere. It was often hard to get the truth out of them.

“Of course. We are in the forest Lathluer,” replied Silverstar. 

“Thank ye greatly, milady.” the butterfly turned to leave. 

“Wait!” called Silverstar. “Have you by any chance seen any creature like me during your travels? Another unicorn?”

“Why do you want another unicorn? I thought immortal creatures liked to have their own territory to themselves. Unless…” The butterfly got a sly look in his eyes. “Unless they wanted to start a family, of course.”

“What? Oh, no. That is true with some, but unicorns prefer herds. I must know if I am the only unicorn left. Have you seen any? Please, tell me.”

“Oh, yes, I have, if you insist I tell you.”

“Thank you, sir, thank you! But one more thing—where were they?” asked Silverstar.

“Right here, in Lathluer Forest, of course!”

“But where? I have seen none in a long time!”

“I told you I saw a unicorn and she was right here in Lathuer Forest! She’s right in front o’ me!” cried the butterfly, exasperated. 

“Me? But I meant someone else!” Silverstar tossed her head in annoyance.

“Well, you’re the only unicorn I’ve seen in a long time, miss. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off!” before Silverstar could stop him, the butterfly was gone. Silverstar sighed and hung her head. Maybe I really am the last.

“Excuse me, Unicorn, I couldn’t have helped but overhear your talk with the butterfly,” chirped another small voice. Silverstar looked up. A bluebird was poking her head out of her nest. 

“Have you seen another unicorn?” asked Silverstar.

“Well, no, I can’t say I have, but my husband claims he did, not long ago,” said the little bird.

“Really?” Silverstar perked her ears up.

“Oh, yes. He’s always going on about having seen the Black Serpent driving them away! Oh, yes, it was terrible, he said. He drove them on, spitting fire at their heels, making them run to his lair. Oh, horror, he would cry. He said the Black Serpent would even sometimes eat one! Terrible, terrible, terrible,” sang the bluebird. She spread her wings as she spoke. “He said he saw it, and that is why there are no more unicorns! Oh, the horrors!” with that, the bluebird disappeared into her nest again. 

Silverstar was taken aback. I must find them, I must. They are lost, but I can find them!

“Wait!” Silverstar called. “Please tell me—what is the Black Serpent and where did he drive the unicorns?”

“Ho ho! A unicorn not knowing what the Black Serpent is! My feathers!” came the mocking laughter from the nest.  

  “Oh, please!” cried the unicorn.

“Alright, alright, don’t get your tail feathers in a tangle,” huffed the bird. She reappeared.  

  “Now, the Black Serpent is a very mysterious thing. It is sometimes like a ghost—I’ve heard it can vanish like a wisp of smoke on the breeze. Other times you can touch it, and it feels like a real serpent. That’s all I can tell you about it.

“Now, as to where it went, my husband said he chased them all down the dusty western road. You’re lucky I listen to my husband’s ridiculous stories. Now, I will bid you good day, as I have hungry chicks to provide for. Good day.” The bluebird went back into her nest.

“Thank you ma’am!” cried Silverstar. There was no reply from the bird. Silverstar tossed her mane, both in excitement and fear. She had heard of the road the bluebird spoke of, and those things she had heard were not very agreeable. But she must do it. For the unicorns! 

  Silverstar set out at once.  

  The dusty western road, also called the D.W.R.—it was the dustiest road around, hence its name—started at the western side of Lathluer Forest.  

  She paused at the edge of the forest. The animals of Lathluer Forest would be in greater danger if she left. A unicorn’s magic keeps the animals in the forest they live in safe. With her gone, the animals here are more likely to get shot by hunters, or killed by some natural disaster. They’re in no less danger, though, than a normal forest without a unicorn or its herd.  

  Silverstar heard a rush of wings, very faint though, and an owl landed on a branch behind her. He was probably the oldest mortal creature in Lathluer Forest.

“Journeying to find yer kin at last, eh, Unicorn?” he said, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Yes,” sighed Silverstar. “Before I go, however, what do you know of the Black Serpent?”

“Ah, so you know of him.” the old owl seemed to frown. “Ah, yes. He is a despicable thing, he is. Few things in their right mind would go a huntin’ after him.”

“Are you saying something about me?”

“Oh, no, Unicorn. You’ve got a noble cause, you do. That’s why I said ‘few’. Yer one of the few creatures these days who are in their right mind.” he let out a dry chuckle.

“What else do you know of it?”

“He is a dangerous beast. If ye can, Unicorn, stay as far away from him as ye can.”

“Thank you,” said Silverstar.

“Good luck! And bring the unicorns back!” cried the owl as Silverstar trotted down the road. “We all need them.”

For six days Silverstar traveled along the dusty, winding dirt road. She asked whoever she could if they had seen any unicorns or the Black Serpent. Some said they had, although it had been a long time ago, but most said they hadn’t.  

  Silverstar had a close encounter with a human once. He had thought she was a beautiful mare. Humans, unless they look right, often don’t see a true magical being for itself. A unicorn might look like a horse. A fairy might look like a butterfly. The human Silverstar had run into had tried to rope her. Thankfully, he was just a young one and missed by far. Silverstar ran off before he could get anyone else to help catch her.

Silverstar traveled for five more days before she heard she was near the Black Serpent’s lair. She had been walking along the road, which had found its way to a swamp, when she came across a coyote, who had wandered the wrong way and fallen into the mud, where it was trapped.  

  “Excuse me,” Silverstar asked, not quite seeing the coyote’s predicament, “have you seen any unicorns or the Black Serpent recently?”

“And why should oi tell you?” growled the coyote, struggling to free himself of the sucking mud.  

  “It would help me quite a bit if you told me,” said the unicorn.

“Well,” countered the coyote, “it would help me a good deal if’n you get me out o’ this here mud pit.”

“Oh!” Silverstar exclaimed. “I did not notice you were stuck.”

“If’n you help me oi’ll tell you what you want to know. Deal?”

“Deal.” Silverstar nodded. Gingerly she picked her way through the muddy area, trying to avoid the spots she would sink into.  

  The unicorn lowered her head in front of the coyote, and he grasped her horn with his front paws. He kicked with his back legs, and Silverstar heaved. Finally, with a loud popping sound, the coyote slipped free. He threw himself onto dry ground, heaving. Silverstar came and stood over him.

“Have you seen any unicorns besides me? Or the Black Serpent?” she asked.

“The Black Serpent?” the coyote looked up at her with fear in his eyes. “Aye mate, I’ve seen ’im. His lair ain’t that far at all.”

“Have you seen any unicorns?”

“Aye. Less than three moons ago, the Black Serpent came, chasing down a whole ton of ’em. Haven’t seen any since, till you.”

“Thank you!” cried Silverstar in excitement. Not far! “How far is it?”

“Down the road. There’s a beach and huge cliffs. One of them sea caves is his lair.”

“Thank you,” the unicorn said again, tossing her mane.

“Don’t mention it. Good luck with the serpent. He ain’t very merciful.” The coyote slunk off, and Silverstar cantered off down the road.

The sky was disappearing under thick, dark clouds. Silverstar smelled rain coming. She quickened her pace to a gallop, her silver mane and tail flying out in streams behind her. The wind strengthened, and now Silverstar could smell salt. Salty water.

She crested the ridge and drew in a sharp breath. The sea lay far beneath, roaring waves slamming the seashore. The water mirrored the darkening skies above.

Silverstar pranced in place nervously. Wind and storms were not any horses’ or unicorns’ favorite weather. It made them antsy.

Picking her way gingerly down the steep cliff on a skinny ledge winding down, Silverstar kept an eye out for any caves. She had to stop, however, as the way was too dangerous and she needed both eyes on the slippery path. 

  Lighting flashed and thunder boomed and rolled. The skies grew darker.  

  Silverstar’s pounding heart calmed slightly when her hooves touch the gravelly beach below her.  

  She scanned the cliff for caves. She saw not one, not two, not three, but four large caves. Two were lower down, more easily reachable, but would also flood quickly during the storm.  

  The first one Silverstar looked in didn’t go back far. The second one was even smaller. She had to climb to reach the third. This one, no matter how bright the flash of lightning was that illuminated the land, the unicorn could not see its end.  

  Warily, she started into it. Darkness pressed in on all sides, and Silverstar started to feel panicked. Her horn gave off a slight light, but hardly enough to see well.  

  The ground sloped downward, and a few times Silverstar slipped on the steep ground.  

  Finally, the ground leveled out again.  

  It looked like there was a light coming from ahead. Silverstar started to canter, then broke into a gallop. She skidded to an abrupt halt when she saw the cause of the light. Unicorn horns. Hundreds of thousands of unicorns crowded the cave, light glowing from their crystal white horns.  

  Silverstar let out a long, loud, shrill whinny, and reared, waving her legs. She was on higher ground than her kin was. But Silverstar still plunged herself into their midst, calling to her family. They were huddled not far from her, and Silverstartraded breaths with them, nickering in delight.

“I thought I had lost you,” Silverstar said softly.

“We’re here now,” whispered Silverstar’s twin brother, Brackentail. Silverstar nodded.  

  Suddenly boulders started tumbling from the ceiling, flames roared through the tunnel, and all hell broke loose as the Black Serpent arrived, trapping the last free unicorn in his lair.