The Hidden World

Chapter 6

On closer inspection, Brendan saw it wasn't quite a horse. It certainly had horse like characteristics. It was stark white, a long main that fell over it's shoulders the same color, but more like liquid than the body. It's tail swished ever so slightly, like it found something disturbing about them. It's eyes were a icy blue and severe looking as if it didn't think very highly of anyone, at least not the second they meet them. But the most outlandish thing about the creature was the horn, perched on it's head. It was not stark white, more like xlight stark white, which was a slightly darker color of white. The horn wasn't anything like Brendan had imagined a unicorn's horn as, it was longer and skinnier and it didn't have any cutesy sparkles scattered about it either. It's legs were thicker than the majestic thin ones books had portrayed a unicorns limbs as. They looked sort of mountain goaty-ish. The muscles on the unicorn's chest stood out, they looked relaxed though, which Brendan took as a good sign.

More movement. When the twins turned, another unicorn stood. This one was a light Carmel color. It's horn was a light blue and it was chipped so it was shorter than the first's. It's eyes where dark brown, so it looked like it only had one huge pupil. It's main was shorter than the first, and less like liquid. It had twigs in it's dark tail as if it was reckless. It's legs looked very strong but the hooves were a bit bigger than average. Just before the leg turned into hoof there was a stretch of white fur speckled with mud that made the unicorn look like it was wearing a sock. It shifted impatiently.

And just like that, the forest seemed to sway. Hundreds of unicorns flocked out of the forest as far as the twins could see and even farther. They all seemed to be different from each other. Some light lemon yellow, some dark gold. Some with black marks on their foreheads just below the horn that looked like somebody had rubbed shoe polish on them, some with white marks that resembled ducks or diamonds. Some with chipped blue horns, or perfect green horns. Some with large hooves, some with braided mains, some with long tails, some with short tails. Some with green eyes, some with blue, some even with purple or indigo eyes. Some with large portions of hair around their ankles and some with sturdy broad backs like plow horses. They all lined up around either side of the trail, bent their heads in unison, and commanded their horns to shoot out a thin stream of something like pixy dust. The dust stream hit the ground and rebounded back up in a perfect curve to connect with the horse across the path, creating a walkway. Kendra and Brendan started walking through it, as that was what the horses obviously wanted. After Kendra and Brendan had passed at least five unicorns, Kendra turned and saw the two leader unicorns that had appeared first rear and send their waterfalls of pixy dust into the sky. Then they turned and cantered back into the woods. And it went just like that for a least 145 unicorns. As the twins came upon the last five, making the 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, and150. The unicorns on the right side reared at exactly the same time and the unicorns on the left side reared in unison with the right side horses. Then they ran back into the woods too.

Brendan was aware of his heart beating faster than usual in his rib cage. He tried to convince himself it was all a dream and he was hallucinating or something. But he had just seen unicorns and pixy dust, something only known to Snow White and other fairy tale stories. But they had been real, he'd pinched himself several times in the arm to see if he was indeed dreaming, but he hadn't been. When he heard the click of Borealis' talons on the dirt and rock behind him he felt a little better. Borealis was real, he had touched her in person. The thought that dragons were also part of a fairy tale didn't cross his mind though. Borealis had become such a normal part of his life he had no trouble imagining that a dragon could exist. Dragons, yes, unicorns, no.

But just as soon as Borealis had started to settle her wings, they straightened again and she shot off into the sky again. Brendan had started to trust Borealis the same way hunter trusts his falcon. Borealis was his eyes and ears, as well as his nose. She had a better sense of smell than an elephant and she could hear and see things before Brendan or Kendra could even look that direction. If Borealis sent out her distressed signal to the twins, they payed attention. Even if she was calm, they payed attention to her.