Species: Northern Unicorn
Gender: Male


One spring, while Corvus was away advising the king, Sylvan was foraging deep within a nearby forest for herbs and other magickal or alchemical substances, she came across a group of hunters trying to capture a Wild Unicorn. They came crashing through the trees, the unicorn rearing and trying to flee, the men following close behind. The poor beast had ropes around his neck, abrading his flesh and drawing blood, that the men were using to keep him from fleeing. They were struggling to keep hold of the ropes and wear the unicorn down, but it was working. Disgusted, Sylvan left the patch of Fireberries she had discovered, flipping her satchel closed as she marched over to the group.

"Halt!" she called, her voice powerful, easily cutting through the din of the hunters' cries and unicorn's screaming. "Let the unicorn go!"

Most of the men ignored her, focusing on their quarry, but one of them turned to face her, an ugly sneer on his face. "Back off, wench! This doesn't concern you."

When he turned away, dismissing her, she grew even angrier: she had become accustomed to being treated with respect in the last few years and she was not going to allow some poacher to get away with such disrespect. Raising one hand she called forth magickal flames, using them to sever the unicorn's bonds. Finally free, the great beast reared up, lashing out with his hooves, missing his tormentors by a hair's breadth as they fell to the leaf littered ground. He tossed his head, whinnying and stamping.

The men did their best to avoid the angry beast's sharp hooves and horns as he tried to take revenge on them. The man who had spoken to Sylvan, evidently the group's leader, turned to her, his face darkened with rage. "You bitch!" he spat. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Her eyes alight, her own anger making her bold and reckless, she sneered at the man. "Yes, I do. I've set that poor thing free so you can't kill him, or sell him, or whatever twisted plans you had." She raised her hand as the man took a threatening step towards her, calling forth a brilliant glove of flame, daring him to take another step. "Come then! I will enjoy ending your miserable life, you wretch!"

Caught between a rampaging unicorn and a crazy witch, the man fled, his fellows hot on his heels, abandoning their ropes and payday without even a backwards glance.

Sylvan laughed, a short bark of amusement at how easy it was to scare away cruel, stupid men now that she had confidence and the power to back it up. She turned her attention to the unicorn then, walking over to where he stood watching his attackers flee. Blood dripped from his horn, he had clearly landed a blow once he'd been freed, and oozed from the wounds on his neck, soaking into the fibers of the ropes. She reached out a gentle hand, speaking softly to him as she stroked his nose. "Hey there, big fella, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to get those ropes off you, ok?" He just looked at her with his big blue eyes as she reached into her satchel and brought out her knife, remaining calm as she carefully cut through the ropes around his neck. She kept speaking to him softly as she removed the ropes, cleaned his wounds, and gently applied a soothing herbal balm she always carried when she went foraging: many of the most potent ingredients came from plants with nasty thorns, so carrying a first aid kit was just common sense.

When she finished tending the unicorn's injuries, Sylvan patted his powerful, graceful neck and smiled fondly. "Try to stay away from hunters from now on, ok?" She started walking back home, tired from the day's exertions, but stopped when she felt a gentle tug on her cloak. She turned to untangle the cloth from whatever it had caught on and was surprised to see the hem of her garment in the unicorn's mouth. He dropped it and gave her a strange look, making her pause. "What do you want, fella?" A glossy ebony hoof pawed at the ground and he snorted in reply. Sylvan tilted her head, then it clicked. "You want to come with me? Is that what you want?" He whinnied happily, his eyes seeming to smile at her. Sylvan shook her head, chuckling. "I'd read that you unicorns were smart, but none of the texts mentioned that you could understand speech." She stopped, contemplating, then smiled. "Let's go home," she said, and they did, Sylvan putting her riding lessons to good use for the first time.

The unicorn chose to stay with her, so she gave him a name, Neron, so she wouldn't have to keep calling him "unicorn". They became good friends as he accompanied her on her many journeys, and he served as her mount when she was called into danger and battle. Neron's swiftness and uncanny agility kept her safe on more than one occasion, and his own near-immortality was a good match for her own.


Art/Species (C)
Neron/Story (C)