The Rarest Unicorn

A little while ago, there lived a Unicorn named Golden. Golden was a Lustrous Unicorn, the rarest kind. She was a smart, strong, clever and creative unicorn... and beautiful.

The rainbow coat of the Lustrous Unicorn was a throwback to when all familiar plain white Unicorns had it. When seen in just the right light, Lustrous Unicorns appeared to shimmer in the sun. Their colors ran together, liquid tones blurring their edges, trying to become one with each other. They were magnificent.

They were also endangered, because even after death, their coats somehow remained as if alive, the colors blending and separating into eternity.

The coats fetched top dollar in all the markets across the world, but this Unicorn’s territory was small, and its numbers few.

The Lustrous Unicorns had to adapt to being sought and hunted, and occasionally slaughtered, all for an accident of their birth.

After so many were killed, they had to hide in order to survive. They found caves, and ravines, and cracks in huge ancient trees. Their characteristics rapidly changed as their species advanced, and some became small enough to fit into birds’ nests. Some grew extra sets of lungs to get the most air they could from the caves they lived in.

These adaptations, while swift and temporarily life-saving, were unsustainable.

Over time, their richly hued coats began to fade, until one day, almost all Unicorns were born plain white. From then on, in secret, they still called themselves Lustrous Unicorns, but to the world, they were PWU, or Plain White Unicorns. They were still beautiful, smart and clever, but they were no longer hunted, and could live safely and freely in the world for the first time.

Once in a Blue Moon, who knows why, an original Lustrous Unicorn was born. While this tribal reminder brought great joy to their families, and much celebration ensued following the birth, extra caution had to be taken in the raising of such a rarity. There were still those in society who valued the coat of the Lustrous Unicorn.

There were those humans old enough to remember the Lustrous coat itself, or at least to have learned about it in grammar school.

Then there were those more dangerous humans, the hunters, the ones who studied, researchers who wanted nothing more than to score a high price for the priceless lives of these magical beings.

Golden and her family lived in their ancestral cave, deep in the primeval forest. There, Golden's family was free to graze on their most essential food, a flower, the scarce Pale Orchid.

Golden’s family consisted of her mother, Silver, her father, Copper, and her four older brothers, Steel, Iron, Titanium, and Bronze.

The Lustrous Unicorns knew that the Pale Orchid contained the main nutrient that gave their coats the shimmer.

All Unicorns still shimmered dazzlingly in the sun, but with their coats being Plain White, the shimmer became a glare, that warded off the otherwise curious gazes of the people who inhabited the nearby towns and cities.

This Pale Orchid was what had allowed their tribe to finally live in peace.

So although the birth of Golden was a joyous and celebrated occasion, it was also call to go way under the cover of the forest.

On this day, Golden was two years old. Lustrous Unicorns live eight people years in one of theirs, and the young ones mature very quickly, especially the females. In people years, Golden was sixteen.

The coats of young Lustrous Unicorns shone and shimmered more brightly than when they got older, so her mother, Silver went about the woods gathering the deep green leaves that scattered the forest floor. She bit from a branch of the Sticky Elm a gooey substance that she used as a strong glue, to adhere the leaves to one another and fashion a blanket for Golden to wear to keep her from attracting attention.

Golden loved the woods, where she played near the entrance of their cave. Until her birth, Golden’s family had been free to live where and as they pleased, but after she was born, for their safety, they moved back into their ancestral cavern.

Golden was one of only thirteen Lusters born in the last hundred years. Her father, Copper, always told her that she was something special and she should never forget it. A sensitive Unicorn, however, picks up a lot from what is never spoken. Golden felt a grave responsibility to her tribe, to be her best self, to always take that tentative step, no matter how daunting.

She had her four older brothers as her playmates and her protectors. Silver and Copper were attentive, caring parents who never let their boys feel less than their own beautiful and unique selves, so they never felt jealous of their little sister. They just loved her and laughed with her and helped her be the best Unicorn she could be. They were also a lot older than she was, however, and were getting ready to start families of their own.

Golden longed for a special friend, someone she could talk to and laugh with. She was going to miss her brothers terribly.

So she closed her eyes and began to imagine what a friend like that might look like. She tried to see the face of this friend, every part of it.

As a Lustrous Unicorn, she had special abilities. She was able to imagine so vividly, it was as if her vision was standing before her, in the flesh.

She saw a long dark red mane, from behind. She opened her eyes. Why could she only see the back of the head?

She closed her eyes again, and this time, she imagined herself slowly walking around her subject... and then her eyes opened on their own.

Startled, she saw the face of a Human! She knew, instinctively, that Humans were not to be trusted, for any reason. But there she was, bright and beautiful as a fiery sunset.

A long, curly dark red mane of thick hair fell around her face, a soft frame around a peach heart with rich brown eyes, each lined with two rows of dark lashes. Her cheeks were almost plum in the chilly wind in Golden‘s head, and dusted with brown freckles, the downy cheeks smooth and interrupted only by deep dimples.

A soft and loving smile slept comfortably on her lips, like a fluffy fat cat, lazing through the evening in front of a mellow fire.

Full lips surrounded the smile, and elicited the same. Golden at once loved and trusted her vision, and set about a plan of imagination to make her vision come to life. She was still a novice at the Unicornly art of manifestation, but it was part of her ancestral memory, and she had ready access to it.

Golden loved her family dearly, but she was suddenly afraid that if she did manifest her friend the Human, her family wouldn’t approve or understand.

She was strictly forbidden to go anywhere near Humans, her tribe’s only real enemy, except for the Muted Lion, whose coat glowed dully under too much itchy fur.

The Muted Lion was known for its ego, and it could not stand to be outshone by the dazzling Lustrous Unicorn. Although most of the modern tribe of Unicorns were the blinding Plain White, and no longer presented a threat to the Muted Lion’s ego, the feud was generations old, and sat inside every member of each tribe differently.

Most tried hard to let it go, because they couldn’t remember how it started in the first place. Once in a while, though, a handed-down resentment would appear within the local Muted Lion population.

Maybe once every twenty years or so, the feud would be settled in blood. Then even the peace-loving Lustrous Unicorns would wield their powerful, single horns as bayonets. There were winners and losers on both sides.

Golden hung her head. She wanted so much to practice her manifesting skills and create a new friend for herself from the ground up, but she couldn’t adjust to the idea of going against her parents.

Visualization and manifestation took a lot of energy and concentration. Lustrous Unicorns, even this latest edition of them, used much energy throughout their magical lives. It was ingrained in their kind to slow down as they got older, to speak less, listen more, take less, and give more. They aged more gracefully than any other beings.

She knew she had to trust herself, and focus on having a fulfilling imaginary friendship until she was able to make it real.

Her soft lavender eyes and long gray lashes were lazy in the afternoon sun. Their lids rose and fell sleepily, as she softly whispered her thoughts and dreams to herself.

Everyone in the tribe knew Golden, and they all knew this lovely, peculiar habit she had of whispering to herself, most of the time, as if telling herself a story of her life. Nobody would even notice that she had in the works to conjure up a whole Human Being.

Golden could already see who her new friend would be. A brave warrior woman, fearless and free, a friend and companion, a confidante, and most importantly, a thoughtmate.

A thoughtmate was a Unicornian concept.

Much like people have soul mates, Lustrous Unicorns have thoughtmates, ones whose minds they could fuse theirs with. Once this fusion was achieved, thoughtmates could send the essences of their communications to each other, without any words or gestures, just chemical impulse. They triggered neurotransmitters: acetylcholine, serotonin, and oxytocin, the chemicals of connection.

In this way, the connection could never be broken, as molecular bonds were formed in the thought-sharing process. Thus, the two were joined forever, and could never lose each other, even if they moved on and were happy with other Beings.

Golden had wished for a thoughtmate on her touchstone, a small hunk of rose quartz she found and kept in her mouthpouch, a flap of skin inside her left cheek, where she knew she wouldn't lose it.

Golden began to walk home. She’d been in the woods and lying in the leafy shadows, keeping cool and safe and out of sight at all times, as her parents had sternly directed her when she insisted on going out alone.

She needed her dreaming time. It was as if she were going to give birth, and she were incubating her friend inside her heart. Maybe that was the best place for her to stay, Golden worried in a whisper. Bringing a Human into her family’s home would not be a good thing.

Humans were their worst enemy. The hunters and researchers, the callous salesmen who saw nothing beautiful about a living Lustrous-throwback, only a dead coat shining hopefully on some awful person’s floor; the visitors who admired the “rug,” and asked where they could get one, the butchers who finished the job, so to speak.

There were even lighting designers who devoted themselves to working for the super-rich, who collected the gruesome trophies, to come up with exactly the right lighting schemes to emphasize the coats glowing in living color twenty-four hours a day.

For all of these reasons, Humans were her mortal enemies, and no exceptions for the “good ones” would be made. No deviance from her family’s code would be tolerated.

She’d heard this in her father’s voice almost every morning of her life. She knew it inside out, and she still didn’t understand that if they acknowledged that there WERE good ones, why could the exceptions then not be made for them?

So Golden made a decision. She used her limited experience, but her deep access to ancient tribal wisdom to come up with a way to approach her parents to let them know that her friend would be, not only harmless, but a welcome and valuable member of her family. She used her influence in her visualization to make sure her friend had all the necessary qualities to be not only accepted, but celebrated.

She thought, what is the one most important thing I can have in a friend? Someone who wants the very best for me, she intuited. Someone who would never dream of hurting me, or any member of my family, tribe, or species, for any reason, she continued, whispering to herself.

She started the rituals necessary to bring about that which she’d been dreaming of. She allowed her knees to bend, to lower herself to the ground. She closed her eyes and lowered her shimmering head and its glowing mane to as close to the ground as she could. She brought to her consciousness the vision of her friend again.

In her powerful mind, she reached her pink velvet nose out in front of her, to smell the scent of love emanating from the beautiful presence she was conjuring.

The scent was a powerful mix of violets and jasmine. It was as if there was a freshly cut bouquet directly under her nose. She knew she was on the right track when her senses were being engaged.

She began to fall into a trance, one that would be more difficult to achieve the older she got. She opened her eyes. She began to see a shift in the air, like heat rising from summer asphalt.

She could see the beginnings of a young person appear before her, starting at the brown canvas-shod feet, rising up to the dusty rose cotton pants that were bound to her lower legs. Then the thighs, hung with velvet pouches filled with crystals and amulets and herbs, that were bound to her waist with linen strips.

As the apparition continued to make its presence known, Golden shivered with excitement! She was about to have the friend she’d wished for since she was a tiny Unicornlet. The vision continued to assume form. Above the waist was a deep red cotton tunic, with short sleeves that hung loosely about the shoulders.

Over the left shoulder was a quiver of many arrows, fletched not with feathers but with strong plant material.

This material came from the magical Faux Feather Tree, whose leaves emulated feathers. This was all to attract the diminutive, delicate Laboradite Hummingbird, that made its nest in the branches.

The Tree and the Bird had a cosmic agreement. The Tree provided cover for the Bird, and the Bird ate all the miniscule, vicious Spotted Ants, that could fell a Faux Feather Tree in a matter of hours.

Last to appear before Golden were the arms, neck, head, hair and face of her wonderful new thoughtmate. The dark red hair that spilled down her back was almost alive with curl and body. It shone in the sun, reflecting highlights of chestnut, auburn, copper and gold.

The face was freckled, as she’d pictured it, with deep dimples and full lips. The heavily-lashed eyes reflected infinite kindness and wisdom, and as soon as they met Golden’s eyes, both pairs began to weep with joy.

I’m Adeera, said the vision-become-real. I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’ve been dreaming of you my whole life! When I was very small, I was in the woods with my family, and I saw a tiny Lustrous Unicorn gallop by me. I was so breathtaken!!! I’d never seen anyone so beautiful in my life! I wanted more than anything to know this little being, to hear its call, to know its name.

I’m Golden, said Golden, breathlessly, still not quite believing her own eyes. My family has a cave in the deep woods. It’s the only place I’m safe to gallop free. As far as I know, I'm the only Lustrous Unicorn of my generation, so it makes perfect sense that you saw me, I saw you, and we dreamed of each other as the best of friends.

Golden was young, but physically, she was full-grown. She stood six feet at her shoulder. she had a strong, sturdy back, and her golden horn, which shone brightly in the sun, was powerful and invited touch.

Golden still wore the blanket of leaves her mother, Silver, had so carefully crafted for her. It was covered with the gluey substance used to stick it together. The glue had dried and formed a sort of slip-free shell, which made the blanket a perfect saddle.

Golden remained on her knees. She beckoned with her eyes for Adeera to take hold of her single horn and climb onto her back. She had never been ridden before, because she had never been this close to a Human, and Adeera had only ridden horses int the past. But she knew what Golden wanted.

She approached the lovely Unicorn, stopping to reach out and pet Golden’s soft, pale pink nose. It was creamy under her fingers. Golden let out a soft whinny, a satisfied sound that invited more touch. Adeera was only too happy to oblige. She used both hands to stroke the face of her new, ancient friend. Both of them shivered with happiness.

Finally, Adeera took hold of the base of Golden’s horn, sidled up next to her, swung her leg up and over, and mounted Golden’s strong back.

She settled in as Golden rose, careful not to dislodge her friend. Golden took a few tentative steps, allowing herself to become accustomed to the new weight on her back.

Now, Adeera began to feel as if she’d belonged there her whole life. Golden felt the same. They both let out a boisterous cry as Golden took off running.

She sent Adeera a thought, and Adeera picked it up immediately. She took hold of Golden’s mane, sure not to spill off her back. Adeera’s hair flew out behind her, like a dark flame. They moved swiftly in the direction of Golden’s family cave.

The brisk wind seemed to pick up speed as Golden and Adeera did. Suddenly, there could be heard a tearing sound, and the leaf blanket saddle was whipped away in the gale. Golden galloped in all her prismatic glory, Adeera strong on her back, toward her destiny.

As the pair of new friends slowed a bit to accommodate the abundant foliage, Adeera looked around and recognized the area as the place she’d seen Golden when they were small. She couldn’t believe it. She was at long last united with her life’s dream.

Unicorn hooves all make distinctive sounds, easily recognizable by their families, as individual as a voice.

Golden’s family heard her approach as she neared the cave. Her father, Copper, took a step outside the cave’s entrance and stopped, dead in his tracks. Stunned, he beheld the vision of his only daughter, the only Luster of her generation, being ridden by a Human!

Copper was instantly angry. What do you think you’re doing, Golden, bringing a Human Being to our cave? Have you lost your mind?

It’s all right, my dear Father. This is Adeera, my thoughtmate and friend. We saw each other when we were small, right here, by the mouth of the cave. We have been dreaming of each other since, and finally I was able today to use my manifestation skills to bring her back to me!

Adeera, sensitive to Golden and Copper, swung her leg over Golden’s back and slid to the ground. She reached into one of her many velvet pouches and pulled out the dried petals of the Pale Orchid, an offering of peace and kindness.

In her lifelong study of Lustrous Unicorns, with whom she’d been fascinated since first she saw Golden trot by her, she’d learned that the Unicorns lived for and thrived upon these precious petals.

She reached out her hand and offered them to him, her liquid eyes wide and sincere, a soft smile on her lips.

Copper was not that easily turned.

A lifetime of experience had taught him that Humans were never to be trusted, for any reason. He backed away from her reach, tossing his large head in disdain. Golden advanced toward her father, knowing she was his favorite and that he could not remain angry with her for long.

She knew how to appeal to him. She approached him, head down and to one side, a gesture of humility and respect among her kind. She put her soft cheek against his shoulder, because as tall and majestic as she was, he dwarfed her.

He softened instantly, knowing his daughter was smart, and would never do anything to endanger her family, no matter how naïve she might be.

He indulged his child for a moment, then leveled his gaze at Adeera.

My daughter obviously trusts you enough to allow you to climb upon her back, to merge her thoughts with yours, to bring her to our secret, safe place. I will agree to trust you too, but you must pass a test. You’ll know it what it is soon.

Unfortunately for the family and Adeera, the Sherriff of the local Muted Lions had witnessed Golden’s approach.

He recognized the ancient coat and vaguely remembered the sumptuous taste of Lustrous Unicorn from his days as a cub. He let out a deep rumble, and the other Muted Lions did the same. The Unicorns’ ears went up, as they heard the approaching roar.

There had been a drought that summer, and the usual fare of the Muted Lion had dwindled greatly in its numbers. It was the wild, but weak, Green Rat.

The Green Rat was a fat, slow-moving, ugly beast that needed to live near water, and drink four times its weight per day. It only liked swampy water, with algae and dead bugs in it.

The interesting thing about the Green Rat was that green is the color of jealousy, and the Green Rat manufactured in its gut the chemicals of jealousy, as a biproduct of the filth it ate.

The Muted Lion's ingestion of these chemicals trapped in the fat cells of the Green Rat, was, unbeknownst to the Muted Lion, responsible for the Lion's inexplicable continued jealousy of the Lustrous Unicorn.

During the recent drought, in the unseasonably warm weather, the water had all been sucked dry from the ground. As a result, the Green Rat’s population had died out in the area, and the Muted Lion was lazy, and did not want to range too far afield, even to feed itself.

This particular group of Muted Lions, (known as an Embarrassment,) had now seen Golden and her family, and, knowing the precise location of the family’s cave by its distinctive Unicorn scent, they had no problem picking at an ancient wound in order to sustain themselves until the next rainy season came around.

The Muted Lions roared as a group, and it could be felt like a rumble and heard for miles. Usually, the Lions were miles away, but now Golden’s family cave was too close for comfort, and the family had been taking extra precautions to protect themselves.

They’d built up a thick wall of brambles at the entrance, one that could be pulled open and shut like a sliding door. Silver had been inside, busily preparing a poison, to which she and all Unicorns were immune, to scatter around the nearby area. The poison would stick to the padded feet of the Lions, and sicken them if they were to lick their paws. No amount of preparation, though, could completely fend off an organized attack.

Golden’s brothers still lived in the cave, and they were young and strong, and could brandish their horns like swords if necessary, but there were only four of them.

Adeera heard and felt the rumble-roar along with her new friend’s family. She knew her test was upon her. The rumble grew louder, and the foliage in the forest began to shift and move as the large Embarrassment approached, sharp claws ready to attack.

Adeera began to cast her eyes to the ground and to the surrounding trees, looking for straight branches. She pulled from another of her pouches a knife, with a long, sharp blade. She took up the branches and began to strip the bark from them. She held them up in front of her, one next to the other, and measured them. She sawed off the extra ends and notched them deeply with her knife.

In yet another of her pouches was a large bunch of arrowheads. She took some of the linen strips that attached her pouches to her clothing and cut them in order to bind the arrowheads to the straight, stripped branches. She hastily shoved them into her quiver.

As she looked at Golden, and her gathering family, the Lions were suddenly visible. With Golden’s unspoken permission, Adeera hopped back atop the Unicorn’s back, making sure to hold on to Golden’s thick mane.

Adeera shaded her eyes from the sun with her hand. She could see the Lions spot their prey. They crouched behind the pale yellow grasses that grew at the outskirts of the forest.

Golden and Adira both knew, simultaneously, what they had to do. They called quietly to the family, who gathered around them, and followed them, trusting with each step that it was the right thing to do. Bravely, Golden strode in the direction of her mortal enemy. She had to protect herself and her family.

With Golden’s brothers at her flanks, Adeera drew an arrow from her quiver and placed it carefully in the bow. She took aim. Before the Sherriff Lion could charge, she swiftly let an arrow fly. It hit its target! The Lion stopped, stunned and confused, as the arrow sank into its neck.

Copper looked at Adeera in disbelief. He’d had no idea any Human could fight FOR his kind. He didn’t have time to thank her, yet, as Adeera was busily loading her bow with her next arrows, letting them fly one after another.

Each one sank into the flesh of Copper’s enemies, and as Adeera shot and shot, never missing, his trust and admiration for his daughter and for her thoughtmate grew.

The Lions didn’t know what to do. They scattered. Adeera and Golden continued to charge forward, leaving the brothers behind, shooting right and left until every last one of the Lions who hadn’t run off, had fallen.

Finally, when they were all gone, Adeera dismounted. She turned and looked at Golden; reached out her hand to pet Golden’s proud nose.

The family stood together and looked out over the surrounding land. The fallen Lions had been dragged from the forest and returned in defeat to their families. The Unicorns regarded each other, then their heads all turned and looked at Adeera.

First, Copper approached her, and nuzzled her. Then Silver did, followed by their four sons. Finally, Golden pushed her way through the crowd of her dear family, happy that she had manifested this friend who had saved the lives of those she held closest to her heart.