The Sound of Their Presence

Chapter Sixteen: Family Reunion

Cheyenne's POV:

    I gallop through the forest as fast as I can. In my unicorn form, am even faster than my human form, although I have never last a race I didn't purposely drop from. I watch my surroundings whizz past. I eventually hear shouting. A man, but I cannot recognize the voice.

    As I draw closer, slowed to a trot, I see a throng of about half a dozen other unicorns. They look frightened, so I naturally wish to help. One mare looks at, screams in my head. 

    "Run! Phase when you find your boy. He is your only way out, but be wary!" She says no more through mental communication, but nuzzles a foal. The colt, I imagine an adorable child, hides beneathe her hind legs.

    I had never heard of one of my kind phasing at such a young age.

    The colt sends me a mental image. He pictures several men and a woman holding shotguns, hand pistols, and katanas and sabers. The charge at the conjurer of the image. The boy is so frightened by Lilith, several of the other members of her family, and a few men I do not recognize. Even when he lets the image go, I memorize it all to vividly.

    I cross to him, taking a moment to calm him. 

    "You are safe now," I soothe, speaking on our shared mental lines.

    He backs away, and someone sends the name Danni.

    "Danni is not safe, nor the rest of us. They are coming, and you are in the most danger, Cheyenne."

    "How do you know-"

    "There is no time," the mare concludes. 

   A dark satllion steps forward, looking me sqaure on in the eyes. "They are coming, Cheyenne. Go find the boy- Shane? Go find him and your mother."

    "Father!" I recognize, "Come with me, please. All of you!"

    "There is no time! We are already d*mn*d. You can save her. Go now, and do it for me, Cheyenne. You can save Shane, too. It is not too late for the three of you. Go be with your love- No!" He bays, before kicking me, sending me away when the group of unicorn hunters near.

    I begin to gallop again, but I turn for just a moment, looking straight into the eyes of Lilith. The b*tch looks at me, then smiles as she spears the colt I had been with seconds ago. She removes the saber from behind his tiny shoulder blade. He bleeds for a moment, before collapsing, his heart demolished.

    When I hear my own father neigh at me to leave, I turn and run for the forest, away from this bloody clearing.

    I run for God only knows how long, before I hear both a male and a female voice. I wait, hesitant, until I recognize the voices. Then I shift, and cry out. 

    "Shane!" I am breathless. I cannot do anything but run for the two figures before me. I recognize my mother, clad fragiley in Shane's leather coat.

    I do not care that I have no clothing in this moment. I only want to be in the arms of Shane in this moment. Even my mother could wait. I launch myself at him.

    "Cheyenne?" He calls surprised.