PURE GOLD (part one)


The herd were grazing peacefully, each unicorn a blaze of white against the lush green meadow.
The mares and young foals under the watchful eyes of the dominant stallion, standing on a hillock in
the centre of the field for a clearer view. The stallion was a spectacular sight, six feet tall at the shoulder,
a beautiful mother of pearl horn spiralling out to end four feet from his brow.Not a single spot of colour or
speck of dirt marred his coat of white satin.Every now and again he stamped his cloven hoof and raised
his lion tufted tail to warn the nearby batchelor herd to stay away from his harem.
Back in the trees on the edge of the meadow stood a forlorn sight.Covered in bruises from kicks and
with toothmarks on neck and hindquarters, there was an unusual creature. A sandy coloured unicorn.
Gazing with longing in his eyes towards both the harem and the batchelor herd. Occasionaly he would
step out into the warm sunshine, but at the first sound of hoof on open ground every unicorn turned to face him
with horn lowered. They stood this way until the outcast retreated back into the half light of the forest. Then,
in unison the herds swung a half circle until all had their backs to him, just in case the message they gave
with their horns wasn't clear enough.
As spring turned to summer the herd moved on from the shelter of the forest glade. The clear blue skies and
heady scent of the multicoloured blossoms peering over the long grass saw the unicorns browsing on the
soft green shoots on shrubs and young trees as they entered the moorland which is their summer range.
At a distance of about half a mile the sandy unicorn trailed after them. Forcing his already bruised head deep
into thorny bushes for the shoots ignored by his fellows. Flicking his ears up as a distant neigh sounded, not
daring to answer and incur the wrath of the stallion.
Standing out proudly in the shimmering heat, the dominant stallion surveyed his domain.The mares
suckling foals with wagging tails. Older male foals prancing about, fencing with stubby horns, preparing
for the day when combat skills would be used for real.
A movement came from the batchelor herd. A deep chested two year old approached the harem.
Rearing and screaming his challenge. The stallion bellowed his answer, lowered his horn and charged at the
young upstart. Both sleek powerful animals thundering towards each other.The countryside flashing past,
sparks flying from their hooves. Unicorns, the fas-*test*-('") four legged creatures in the world, wind whistling
over horns as they clove the air, hurtled to the battle at the speed of a diving falcon.
At twenty paces they ground to a rump sliding halt.Churning up the earth as they slid to stand stock
still, horns touching, neither moving a muscle but their lungs that heaved like bellows, steam jetting
out at each nostril flaring breath. They stood eye to eye, each refusing to blink first and admit dominance
to the other. Although clouds of dust still flew about their faces from the race across the moors.
For three long hours they stood like this, all through the noonday heat.The sun sending shimmering waves
along their pure white flanks. Gaze for gaze, horns resting tip to tip, like living statues,both refusing to give way.
An eagle circling high overhead suddenly spotted a rabbit scared out of its hiding place beneath a bush
by a grazing mare.Plummeting out of the sky the eagle swept just scant inches above the backs of the enemy
stallions.A small downy feather floated its zig-zag course towards them, coming to rest on the sensitive hairs
at the tip of the two year olds ear. He blinked.
With a blinding flash of white the dominant stallion struck. A fatal blow just above the eye, punching a small
round hole out of the skull, his horn pierced the brain. The younger stallion collapsed with a heaving sigh onto the soft
earth, blood trickling slowly from the wound.
Proving himself a unicorn male in his prime once more, the king of the herd reared up neighing his defiance and
came crashing down with stiff front legs to snap the horn from the head of the vanquished foe.
There were no more challenges that summer, the few batchelors that tried veered off in the race long before
the staring match, picturing in the backs of their minds the bloody corpse with the shattered horn. The
master of the herd living to sire another generation.
The summer wore on, hot balmy days filled with the buzz of insects. Young foals progressed from wobbling around
on stick like legs to prancing round the moors under the watchful eyes of their mothers. Curious about everything they
poked their stubby little horns into all the nooks and crannies. Beneath bushes, into holes in the ground, and one
got his oversized head stuck in a dead tree stump.Until the stallion pounded away the dry,rotten wood with his hooves.
Leaving the foal shaken but luckily enough not injured.
On odd occasions the foals strayed far enough to run into the sandy unicorn. Sniffing curiously all around him while
he stood patiently still to avoid stepping on them. They played together, the odd coloured male laying down while the foals
leapt over his back. Snorting and blowing in pleasure, no other male would play so. Most males were more interested
in fighting for social position and vying for the attention of the females. The foals had great fun with the sandy unicorn, until
their mothers noticed where they were. Then they would rush over by the dozen, half of them surrounding the lone male,
keeping him at bay by a ring of gleaming sharp horns.While the others shooed the foals back to the herd where they got a
good nip on the hindquarters for daring to acknowlege the existence of a unicorn who was different.

An interesting beginning to the story. I look forward to the rest of it.

Where does your information on Unicorns come from scars?

This is really good.
It reminds me of the Silver Brumby stories I read as a child.

Really looking forward to reading more.

Dunno where i get it from, it just enters the brain and i write it lol. Think i need a new topic for the other half of this?.

It's hard to say, but this topic is only for part one isn't it? So people might miss part two if you put it here. Maybe best to put it in a thread of it's own.


Edited to put.
You took my advice without even hearing it, and put part 2 in a thread of it's own.

Nice one.