By
J. R. Knoll

The passing of time and the changing of the seasons would be the only constants--and the chase itself.
Unknown years ago she had fled her forest, knowing it would follow, hoping it would.  Never more than a day behind her, the flaming Red Bull would never tire of his pursuit, nor would he tire of laying waste to all in his path.  Her mission was a lonely one.  She had to keep the Red Bull away from others, especially other unicorns as he knew her kind and would pursue and kill all he found.  A few weary mistakes over the years had nearly been very costly.  She simply had to stay on her guard.
After traveling for so long and so far, one forest began to look much like another, though she knew they were all very different.  Each made her miss her own forest, a place she had not seen for some twenty years.  She also knew she could not return there so long as this beast pursued her, lest it lay waste to everything she had ever loved.
She was not aware of her age, though she had lived a very long time.  Memories of a life so long ago, of so many left far behind were with her every day, as was one trait that was alien to most of her kind:  Regret.
Weary as she was every day, her cloven hooves found the well made path beneath her with sure footing no matter how many leagues she had put behind her.  Her long spiral horn glistened in the light of the high sun as she trekked endlessly away from the beast that pursued her.  Hair and mane the color of snow sparkled in the sunlight.  Her body was built much like a horse's, though she shared the fleet character of a deer's form with a deer's thin, nimble legs.  A long tail ended in a bushy tuft of hair, one that swayed back and forth to keep tempo with her stride.
Looking behind her yet again, she realized she had been lost in her thoughts and the Red Bull had closed its gap between them again.  She knew that only pursuit of her kept his wrath from the land and all those in it.  Still, those absent thoughts of friends from so long ago kept her company, thoughts of a man who would be a great wizard, a simple woman who would be his companion, and a young man who would be a hero for her.  A sigh escaped her as a few pleasant memories caressed her mind and she found herself staring absently into the forest on one side of the road.
Something moved ahead and she stopped, raising her head as her eyes found the form before her and she breathed, "Oh, no."
Standing less than fifty paces down the road, another unicorn, one as glistening white as she, stood in the middle of the road directly in her path, staring back with curious brown eyes.  Only slightly smaller, this other unicorn possessed the same form she did, but seemed to be more of a deer in the body.  Her horn was quite a bit shorter with ribbons of gold within the spirals, and her nose was slightly narrower.  Upper legs that were a little thicker gave one the impression that this was a fast and agile unicorn, perhaps more so than she herself.  Her long white mane and tail were very horse-like and sparkled in the sunlight.  This was a mare, though a very young one, perhaps too young to realize the danger she was in.  Strangely, a gold chain hung around her neck, supporting a golden raptor's claw that appeared to have once had something in its grip.
The two unicorns cantered toward each other, stopping not quite a pace apart.  They stretched their necks, reaching out with their noses for a sniff, then they lowered their heads to touch horns, channeling their essence into their horns as they did so.  Unicorns unfamiliar with each other will do this as a sign of trust and greeting.  It is a gesture that seems to transcend worlds and all the different kinds of unicorns.
Unsure if this youngster would understand fully the danger, the older unicorn offered her an image of the dreaded Red Bull and suggested the threat it was to the land and all in it.
The younger unicorn seemed puzzled and drew her head back, asking in a voice so young and naïve as to fit her, "Why would I be afraid of an ox?"
Breathing a sigh of relief, the elder unicorn absently said, "You do understand me."
"Of course I do."
"Then you realize you must go.  Put as much distance between you and here as you can and warn others to do the same until it passes."  That simple warning had always been enough to warn away anyone she would meet and she paced by the curious little unicorn, focusing her thoughts on what she had to do next.  That entailed bringing the Red Bull closer, making it think that it would have a chance to….  She noticed the younger unicorn had caught up and had met her pace beside her.
Staring back curiously, the youngster questioned, "Why is this ox so dangerous?"
"It isn't an ox," she replied patiently, "and you need to be on your way.  It knows our kind and will kill you if it catches you."
"Why would it do that?"
Whickering a sigh, the elder unicorn tried to explain, "It is an enchanted bull of red fire, one born of hate and despair.  I thought that when its master and creator died so long ago that it was gone forever.  I thought when I banished it into the sea that it would stay gone, but without King Haggard's control it has no direction but to hunt down and kill us and anything that gets in its way.  Do you understand?"
"You chased it into the sea?"
"Yes, a long time ago.  It didn't expect me to fight back; it just wanted to drive me into the sea with the other unicorns."
"But now it is chasing you."
"Once the other unicorns were freed from their prison in the sea and King Haggard was dead it had no purpose, so it wandered from the sea and has been pursuing me, the last unicorn to have challenged it."
"Why did it come back?"
This young unicorn had endless questions!  "I don't know.  I only know it will never stop pursuing me and it will kill all who get in its way, just as it will kill any unicorn it meets."
Raising her head, the younger unicorn announced, "I'm not afraid!  We should drive it back into the sea where it came from."
"It won't spook so easily again.  Before, it simply did not know what to do when I fought back.  It does now.  I just have to keep it away from other unicorns and innocent people."  She turned her eyes squarely to the younger unicorn and harshly informed, "That means you as well.  Please, just flee from here."
"But I've lived here all of my life.  I won't leave my forest to be trampled by this red ox."
"It's a bull, and I'll not allow him to trample your forest.  Please, just go for a few days and warn away any you see."
"I'm not afraid.  I've had great challenges before."
"Challenges that would have killed you?"
"A few, yes.  Are you sure this red ox--um, bull cannot be reasoned with?  Perhaps he is just misunderstood."
"I'm sure.  Please, just flee from here and warn all you see to do the same."
"You seem lonely doing this all by yourself," the younger unicorn observed.  "What is your name?"
Looking ahead, down the road, the older unicorn paced in silence for long strides, finally answering, "I've never had a name, but there are those who once called me Amalthea."
Her ears drooping, the young unicorn looked upon her with pity in her eyes, asking, "You don't have a herd, do you?"
"No," she answered softly.  "I've almost always lived alone but for the creatures of my forest."
Raising her head again, the younger unicorn offered, "You should stay with the protection of my herd.  We wander about the forest by ourselves for the most part, but we'll be gathering this spring by the river.  Surely this red bull won't approach a hundred of us."
"It would kill us all," Amalthea corrected grimly.  She turned her eyes to the younger unicorn and asked, "What do they call you?"
"Shahly," the other unicorn answered straightly.
"I hope you understand why I cannot stay here with your herd, Shahly.  I hope you understand that I have to keep the Red Bull away from your herd."
"You're afraid," the young unicorn replied.  "You're afraid for us all."
"Have you ever felt regret?"
Shahly considered, then shook her head.  "I don't think I have.  I'm not even sure what that is."
"It's a horrible feeling," Amalthea answered.  "I do not want to feel it again.  I do not want to feel it for what could happen to you and your herd."
Leaning her head, Shahly asked, "You don't think we could drive this Red Bull away together?"
"I know we can't."
Her eyes narrowing, the younger unicorn took on a look of mischief and defiance.  "What if I know someone who can?"
Whickering another patient sigh, Amalthea looked away and said, "I don't want anyone else involved.  Getting someone else killed by this thing will solve nothing."
Shahly whinnied a laugh.  "Oh, you don't have to worry over him.  I think he's the one who would know what to do about this red bull once and for all."  She glanced at the older unicorn and finished, "You would just have to trust me."
"You're so young," Amalthea said absently.  "I wish you realized what it is I am dealing with.  Such power as this is not to be trifled over with such abandon."
"Then we won't trifle," Shahly insisted.  "Come on.  We'll need to go west into the Hard Lands.  That's where my friend lives."
"Do you mean the desert?  Shahly, should the Red Bull catch us in the open--"
"Trust me," the younger unicorn urged.  "I've dealt with such things before."
Amalthea stared at her for many long strides, then she observed, "You sure are confident."
Smiling back, Shahly countered, "I'm told it's a confidence I've earned."
"I so wish you would let me just lead it away."
"That is a horrible, lonely fate that I would wish on no one.  Besides, if you want to keep it away from others then the desert would be an ideal place to lead it.  Not many people live there."
"Except your friend."
"Yeah, there's him."
A horrible, angry noise drew their attention and they stopped and looked behind them.
Her horn glowing a soft blue, Amalthea scanned the forest behind with her eyes and essence, then her ears perked as something snorted in the distance.  "He's close."  Slowly her mouth and eyes widened as something crashed through the forest some distance away.
Shahly's eyes shifted back and forth as if to see the approaching threat.  Her heart thundered and she turned fully, her horn glowing a bright emerald green as she prepared to meet whatever was crashing through the trees.
"No!" Amalthea barked.  "This way!"  She turned and fled into the thick underbrush at the side of the road, the younger unicorn following.  Once at a safe distance, she turned and laid to her belly, crawling further under the brush to hide and yet see out.
Partly obscured by low branches and lush, green leaves, the road seemed to shake as the mammoth beast drew near.
Not wanting to be seen, Amalthea folded her essence around herself and felt Shahly doing the same.  This would offer some protection, but the Red Bull was actively seeking them and a chance glimpse of two white unicorns hiding among the underbrush was on both their minds.
The earth beneath them did indeed shake as it drew near and Shahly's eyes widened as she saw the beast for the first time.  It was truly red and very large, larger than many houses she had seen in the human settlements that dotted the forest.  Heavy black hooves sank into the packed ground of the road much deeper than even a large horse would, despite being a creature of fire as Amalthea had said.  It had much bulk, massive strength and thick black horns that hooked forward.  Its eyes were infernos of red fire, intense but lacking any other color.  They were simply angry pits of fire beneath its brow.  Its back and the top of is head were consumed by red flames, and yet it did not seem to burn at all, rather the flames were a part of it.  Its breath was this fire as well, not unlike the breath of a dragon.
It stopped right in front of them and snorted, red fire shooting from its nose as it did.  It knew they were nearby.  It could sense them.
Gingerly reaching out with her essence, Shahly touched it to find its mind, finding instead a wildfire of emotions without direction.  Rage was the one thing that seemed to hold them together and Amalthea was at the forefront of its simple thoughts.
Snorting again, it looked around, scanning the forest with a sinister intent, then it wandered on.  It felt them.  It knew they were there somewhere.  It just could not see or smell them.
They allowed it to wander completely out of sight before they dared move.
Crawling from the underbrush first, Shahly's eyes never left the destruction it had left behind it as it continued on its way.  Plants and trees it touched were dying, smoldering, and the ground it had trod on seemed poisoned and smoked as if it had been burnt.  She wandered to the middle of the road where she stopped and listened as it continued to just wander away.  She knew it was still searching and dare not do anything that might bring its attention to her.
Taking her side as she also looked that way, Amalthea raised her head, asking, "Well?  Do you think it is so easily dealt with now?"
The younger unicorn slowly shook her head.
"Will you just let me lead it away then?" Amalthea pressed.
Finally turning her eyes to the older unicorn, Shahly shook her head again and countered, "It is a creature that must be stopped, and I'll not allow you to sacrifice yourself to do so."  Hesitantly, she paced down the road after the Red Bull.
Amalthea followed.  "We haven't a chance against it.  It's already killed so many."
"Then we should stop it before it kills again," Shahly insisted.
"And lead it right to your unsuspecting friend in the desert," the older unicorn scoffed.  "Is your friend so large and powerful that he even has a chance against such a powerful beast?"
Shahly's eyes narrowed and she looked to Amalthea, countering, "Oh, yeah.  Just wait until you meet him."
*          *          *
For so long Amalthea had craved company, even a human or unicorn who would wander with her for a few moments.  She had forgotten the joys of new friendship, of conversations that were unimportant yet fun to have.  Sharing memories with another and hearing of another's life was more joy than she had felt for more years than she remembered.
Before the two unicorns realized, half the day had passed.  Forest had yielded to scrub country where they visited a pond to graze and drink.  Unknown hours later they found themselves trekking toward distant mountains.  The tan sand beneath their hooves was well packed for the most part but soft and shifting in places, not that fleet footed unicorns were concerned at all.  Only hearty and succulent plants dotted the landscape.  Scant clumps of thorny scrub brush offered shade to only those small enough to safely hide beneath their branches.  Tall cacti seemed to rule the desert, many reaching toward the sky two and three times higher than the unicorns' heads.  This was a hot land, but the wanderers barely noticed for the most part and they conversed and laughed, barely aware of their surroundings.
For the older of the two unicorns, such absence of mind was a rare thing.  For most of her life she had been alert to everything around her, yet in the company of this lighthearted young mare she finally and unwittingly let her guard down, even enough to speak of things from long ago, things she had never intended to speak of again.
A lighthearted mood turned somber as conversation shifted with one innocent question from her young companion.
"Have you ever seen humans?" Shahly asked.
Giving the young unicorn a long stare, Amalthea slowly turned her eyes forward, looking toward the mountains ahead of them.  She was slow to answer, struggling to find the right words.
The young unicorn's ears drooped.  "Did I say something wrong?"
"No," was the older unicorn's response.  "I've seen humans.  I've even spent time with them.  It was a long time ago, when I sought the other unicorns who had been imprisoned by the Red Bull.  I encountered three who I would eventually call my friends."
"The Red Bull, again," Shahly observed softly.  "He seems to be very tangled with your past."
"It was because of him that I met the wonderful humans that I did--and the evil ones."  She glanced at the younger unicorn, unsure how her next statement would be received.  "And it was the kindness of one and by accident that I was human."
Shahly stopped, her wide eyes locked on the older unicorn.
Amalthea also stopped, turning her gaze down.  She would not look back at her young companion now.  Regret surged forth again and she drew a breath and blew it out hard through her mouth as if to expel such feelings from her.  "You must be thinking how horrible it was.  I didn't even know it was going to happen to me.  Schmendrick cast his spell to save me from the Red Bull.  He didn't seem to know what would happen, either."
Slowly approaching, Shahly never took her eyes from the other unicorn as she softly asked, "You were human once?"
"I'm still unicorn," Amalthea assured, "but that part of me that was a woman clings stubbornly within, drawing the Red Bull to me.  That is when I first encountered him.  That is when I learned so much about humans.  That is when I was first called by the name I told you.  It is also when I felt love for a human."
Shahly stared at her in disbelief and finally blinked, saying as if to herself, "You loved a human.  You can't escape from the little bit of human that still lives within you and loves him."
Amalthea looked away from her.  "You can sense it in me, can't you?"
"Can you sense it in me?" the younger unicorn countered.
Turning her eyes back, Amalthea breathed, "What?"
"I thought I was the only one," Shahly informed softly.
The older unicorn turned fully toward her.  "What do you mean?  Are you telling me…"
Shahly nodded.
They stared at each other for a long moment.
Her eyes narrowing, the older unicorn almost demanded, "How?"
"A wizard," was Shahly's answer.
"This wizard wasn't tall with gangly arms and riddled with inexperience, was he?"
Shahly looked aside and smiled.  "Well, he's tall, but far from gangly and I wouldn't call him inexperienced."  Looking back to the older unicorn, she asked, "Is this Schmendrick a wizard?"
Amalthea rolled her eyes up and choked back a little laugh as she replied, "I suppose so.  When I knew him he was still learning the craft.  That's how I ended up human."
"Really," Shahly said.  "I was transformed on purpose."
"On purpose?  Why would he do that to you?"
"My stallion was captured by the humans of Red Stone Castle, and so was someone the wizard wanted out of there.  He gave me this amulet that transformed me when I spoke the words he told me to and I went to the castle."
They resumed their trek toward the mountains, pacing along silently for a while.
Finally looking to the younger unicorn, Amalthea prodded, "So what happened?"
This time it was Shahly who turned her eyes down.  "The Prince there was looking for a mate and we… We sort of…"  She sighed.  "I fell in love with him and he fell in love with me.  I wasn't supposed to and it wasn't part of the plan.  I was just supposed to find Vinton and this human prisoner and figure out how to get them out of there.  Instead, while my stallion was being held prisoner in their stables, I fell for this Prince and he was all I could think of at times."
"And you knew it could never be," Amalthea finished for her softly.
"His people had captured my stallion and I went there to free him, not fall for another."
Amalthea butted the younger unicorn with her nose.  "So you do feel regret.  You were tempted to stay, weren't you?"
Huffing a breath, Shahly admitted, "Yes.  It wasn't supposed to happen that way, but being a human was a lot harder than I thought it would be."
Whickering a laugh, Amalthea shook her head.  "How easy did you expect it to be?"
"I don't know.  I wasn't very well prepared when I went there."
"I wasn't, either.  We went to a castle by the sea and Schmendrick told the lord there, King Haggard, that I was his niece and called me by the name Amalthea.  After a while I began to forget who I really was."
"You mentioned King Haggard before.  Didn't he control the Red Bull?"
"Yes, but we…"  Amalthea raised her head, then stopped and looked behind her.  "The Red Bull!  Shahly!"
The younger unicorn wheeled around, gasping as she saw the massive Red Bull less than a hundred paces behind them with its full attention trained on them--and it was steadily pacing forward.
"This isn't good," Shahly observed, backing away.
"I told you before we came to the desert that it was a bad idea," Amalthea pointed out, pacing at Shahly's side.
"He isn't trying to run us down.  That's good, isn't it?"
Not taking her eyes from the Red Bull, Amalthea admitted, "I'm not sure.  Every time he has seen me before now he has charged.  He's never followed so close and not attacked."
"Maybe he doesn't know which of us you are."
"He's attacked every unicorn he's met."
Shahly stopped retreating.  "Has he attacked two at once?"
Also stopping, Amalthea turned fully.  "What are you doing?"
Her eyes narrowing, Shahly channeled her essence into her horn, making it glow emerald.  "Let's charge at him and see what he does."
The older unicorn followed suit, channeling her essence into her horn until it was engulfed in a blue glow, then she took Shahly's side and trained her horn on the approaching Red Bull.  "I hope you know what you're doing."
"You said before that it backed down when you charged."
"That was a long time ago, Shahly.  Much has changed since then."
"He's outnumbered this time," the younger unicorn pointed out.  "Are you ready?"
Amalthea nervously whickered back, "I'm ready."
Together, and side by side, the two unicorns whinnied and charged their mammoth foe.  Glowing essence trailed from their horns as if they were burning as they ran.  Their glowing essence overtook their eyes, making them seem aflame as well.  Running close together, they kicked their stride as long as they could.
The bull hesitated as they neared, appearing to be confused by what they were doing, then he trumpeted a mighty response and lowered his head, running toward them.
Right before they met, the unicorns veered in different directions.  The bull did not know which one to pursue and hesitated again, glancing back and forth as they circled back toward each other, then he launched himself in pursuit of his quarry once again.
Retreating back toward the mountains and running side by side again, the unicorns ran as fast as they could away from the now advancing Red Bull.
"Okay," Shahly conceded.  "We know that won't work now."
"We need to find cover," Amalthea cried.  "He's faster than we are and will run us down if we stay in the open."
"There's cover among the mountains," Shahly shouted over their beating hooves.
Looking behind, the older unicorn saw the Red Bull less than thirty paces behind them and gaining rapidly.  "We won't reach the mountains in time!"
"Sure we will.  What is the Red Bull afraid of?"
"He isn't afraid of anything!"
Shahly considered again, then looked to one side and ordered, "Keep going toward the mountains.  I have an idea."
"What are you doing?" Amalthea whinnied as the younger unicorn veered out toward the open desert.  Looking behind her, she saw that she still had the bull's full attention.  It was ignoring Shahly.
A moment later, Shahly whinnied from somewhere, "Amalthea!  Get down and conceal yourself."
She could not be sure why, but Amalthea felt compelled to trust the younger unicorn.  Ahead, there was a clump of brush that was just large enough for her to hide behind and she turned sharply toward it, digging her hooves into the sand as she did, then dove to her belly and wrapped herself in her essence.
Shahly whinnied in the distance somewhere again, this time a challenge.
The hoof beats of the Red Bull stopped.
For a long moment, Amalthea heard nothing.  She was too afraid to move, too afraid to look up and possibly reveal herself.  Somewhere, right behind her, the Red Bull snorted.  He was very close, very angry, frustrated, and kicked at the sand beneath his hooves.
Shahly whinnied in the distance again.
With another angry snort, the Red Bull turned and stomped off in that direction.
Amalthea did not dare a look back at him.  She just lay where she was, too afraid to move.  She barely breathed.  Long moments passed.  Something moved on the other side of the bush and she turned her eyes that way as if to see.
Shahly whispered, "Amalthea."
"I'm here," she whispered back.
Rounding the bush to appear right in front of her, Shahly lowered her head to the older unicorn's, whickering, "Come on.  We need to hurry."
Ever so slowly, so noiselessly, Amalthea stood, finally daring to look over her shoulder.  "Where is he?"
"He's wandering out in the desert looking for me.  I have him confused, but I don't think he will be for much longer before he begins to search for you again."
"Don't run," Amalthea ordered.  "If we run we'll attract his attention."
"There's almost no cover between here and the mountains so we'll have to hurry."
The Red Bull snorted somewhere in the distance.
"He sounds annoyed," Shahly whispered.
When he trumpeted again, they both looked, seeing him less than a hundred paces away and looking right at them.
"Do we run now?" Shahly asked.
"We run now," Amalthea answered.
The chase toward the mountain resumed, and halfway there the older unicorn asked, "What do we do next?"
Shahly glanced at her.  "I don't know."
"I thought you had a plan!"
"My plan was to come to the desert and find--"
The Red Bull slammed onto the ground twenty paces ahead of them, turning sharply toward them to block their path.
Both unicorns dropped their haunches almost all the way to the ground and slid to a stop.  For a long moment they just stared up at him and he stared back.
Amalthea asked in a low voice, "Any more ideas?"
"Um," Shahly stammered, "no.  You?"
"We need to get to those mountains, don't we?"
"I don't think he's going to let us pass."
The Red Bull lowered his head and grunted, flames erupting from his mouth as he did.
Ever so slowly, the unicorns backed away.
"We need to discover what he's afraid of," Shahly informed.
"I told you.  He fears nothing."
Shahly stopped her retreat and turned her eyes skyward.  "I think he's about to."
A huge black form slammed into the ground only ten paces to the Red Bull's left.  Broad wings swept forward, kicking up a hurricane of dust.  Black scales reflected dark blues and greens as the sunlight hit them just right.  Standing fully, he was five times the height of a human and immensely powerful muscles bulged beneath his heavy scale armor.  Long black claws at the ends of his talon-like hands curled inward as the heavy dorsal scales that ran from between his black horns all the way to the end of his long, thrashing tail stood erect, adding to the beast's size.  As the startled Red Bull turned to face this threat, the black dragon dropped to all fours, meeting his foe eye to eye and nearly horn to horn.  Scaly lips drew away from sword sized white teeth as eyes that glowed bright red bored into those of the bull.  A deep growl erupted from deep inside of the dragon's throat, a warning that made the ground tremble.
With his nose less than two paces away from the black dragon's, the Red Bull found himself hesitant once again.  This was an enemy that more than matched his size.  Worse, this heavily armored super predator was one well suited to doing battle with creatures his own size or bigger.  No matter. The bull was not to be so easily deterred and snorted at the dragon, baring his own teeth as he dared to advance a step.
The dragon also advanced a step, growling yet another warning.
Shahly leaned her head to Amalthea and whispered, "I told you this was a good idea."
Grunting with fiery breath, the Red Bull crouched, then lunged and rammed his horns into the dragon's.
The dragon seemed to expect this and twisted his neck as powerful legs pushed back, his claws digging into the sand for more grip.
Thrusting his head, the Red Bull trumpeted and tried to wrench the dragon over, exhibiting massive strength as he forced the dragon sideways a few steps.  His compact build gave him an advantage here, but the dragon was not through with him.  Retreating only a step, the dragon reared up, then lunged and slammed his horns back into the bull's.  Gigantic hooves dug into the sand as the Red Bull pushed back.  He threw his head over, bringing the point of one horn solidly into the side of the dragon's neck.  Heavy dragon armor did not yield, but the dragon did back away.  When the bull charged him again, he dodged to one side, this time opening his jaws.  The Red Bull's horns found their mark on the dragon's armored chest and drove him backward, but the dragon's teeth also found their mark, plunging through the flames of his back and shoulder, through the thick hide and into muscle that was as hard as oak.  Thrusting his head sideways, the bull's horn tried to pierce the dragon's armor again, but failed as before.  The dragon's claws, sliced through the thick hide and into that hard muscle again.  Thick black blood burned as it tasted air.  
This time it was the Red Bull that backed away, twisting to free his back and shoulder from the dragon's teeth.  Trumpeting in a higher pitch this time, the bull opened his jaws and spat fire at the dragon, hitting him solidly in the chest.  Such fire is not much use against a dragon and this dragon responded in kind, retaliating with a murderous blast of fire from his gaping jaws.
As the fire slammed into his head and wounded shoulder, the Red Bull backed away, shaking his head and finally turned away from the flaming death that bombarded him.  The dragon closed his jaws and the fire stopped.  The Red Bull turned and retreated, slowly at first, then he began to run.  Red flames quickly engulfed him until he was fully consumed and fifty paces into his flight the flames thinned to nothing and he was gone.
The dragon raised his head, his red glowing eyes narrowing as he watched his foe disappear.  He did not watch after his enemy's retreat long before he turned his attention to the unicorns.  The red of his eyes faded to the natural pale blue there as he turned his gaze upon the unicorns and the dorsal scales of his back and neck laid down, interlocking there to make him look more streamlined.
As the dragon turned fully with two steps, Amalthea's horn glowed bright blue as did her eyes.  Raising her head to meet this new challenge, the elder unicorn stepped toward this ancient enemy of the unicorns, ordering, "Shahly, stay behind me.  When I have his attention, run back to the forest and don't stop until you arrive there."  She arched her neck, bringing the point of her horn to bear on the dragon's heart.  She had faced dragons before, but none this huge and none seemed to be even close to this powerful.  Three dragons had fallen to her horn and she had been afraid each time she fought.  This time fear mingled with doubt.  This would be the strongest and by far the largest dragon she had ever faced.
Casually sitting catlike before her, the dragon wrapped his tail around himself on the ground as he stared back at her, then he leaned his head and dryly observed, "Well aren't you vicious.  Are you lost or did you come here to fight whatever crosses your path?"
Amalthea took a few steps back, lowering her head slightly as she replied, "I'll do what I must.  Shahly, you need to go."
The younger unicorn did not comply.  She trotted around Amalthea, right toward the huge black dragon.  When she was between them, she stopped and looked back at the elder unicorn, assuring, "It's okay.  He won't hurt you."
Her eyes widening, Amalthea whinnied, "Shahly, he's a dragon!"
"Wow," the dragon drawled.  "You're a smart one, too."
Shahly gave him a sharp look and snapped, "She's just not used to dragons yet.  She only got here today."
The dragon nodded.  "I see.  And I suppose that big ox just got here today as well."
"It's a bull," Amalthea snarled back.
"It didn't taste like any bull I've ever eaten," the dragon corrected.  "Shahly, was that the reason you interrupted my midday nap yet again?"
Slowly, the glow about the elder unicorn's horn faded and she raised her head.  "Shahly, you know this dragon?"
The dragon turned his eyes to her.  "Once again your brilliance shines through.  It's a long story that I don't care to go into today.  From the look of you, I'd say you're not from the Abtont Forest area."
"I'm not," she confirmed.  "The Red Bull has been chasing me for a long time, longer than I know."
"And, naturally, you brought it here."
"That was my idea," Shahly corrected.
"I figured as much," the dragon growled.  "So who is going to tell me about this red bull?"
"Amalthea knows more about him than I do," the young unicorn informed.  "But I guess it doesn't matter anymore since he's gone."
"It isn't gone," the dragon said straightly.  "It's merely retreated.  Once it regains its strength and feels it can pursue you again, it will be back."
Amalthea turned her eyes down, her lips tightening as the glimmer of hope that it was actually gone was dashed.
"So what do we do about it?" Shahly asked.
"We?" the dragon questioned.
Shahly snorted.  "Come on, Ralligor.  You fought it once and drove it away.  You must know how to drive it away for good."
"Why do I always have to know how?  Can't you bother someone else with these matters for once?"
"You won't help us because we're unicorns," Amalthea said spitefully, her eyes boring into this arrogant dragon.
The dragon turned his eyes to her.  They were enveloped by a green glow this time, one that examined the older unicorn in detail, then the green glow faded to the natural blue of the dragon's eyes.  He shook his head and corrected, "I won't help because there's little I can do.  This bull you brought here is not of this world any more than you are."
Shahly raised her head, whickering, "What?"
Amalthea looked away from him, despair and a little shame in her eyes.
Slowly turning to approach her, Shahly asked, "What does that mean?"  She looked over her shoulder to the big dragon.  "Ralligor?"
Closing her eyes, the elder unicorn admitted, "I found an open gateway of some kind between this world and mine that I fled through.  The Red Bull followed and I thought I could make back to my world and leave him in the mountain desert where I emerged.  I thought there was no one he could harm in this world, but I was wrong.  I found out too late there are others here.  By then the gate was gone and I had no way to get back home, nor could I lead the bull away from here."
Shahly just stared at her for a moment, taking a step back.
The black dragon nodded.  "So you planned to run through the rift between this world and yours, get the bull to follow and then run back through, making it our problem to deal with."
Amalthea lowered her head, her eyes on the ground.  "That isn't what I intended at all.  I was so tired the day the gate opened.  I wanted to lead the Red Bull to a land where it could not hurt anyone else."
"Those of education call them rifts," the dragon rudely informed, "and you just happened to find this one open while fleeing from this bull?"
"Yes," she admitted.  "It just opened in front of me and I saw a chance to be rid of the bull.
I'm sorry.  I really didn't expect him to trouble anyone."
The dragon growled, regarding the elder unicorn coldly and with cruel eyes.
Turning fully, Shahly looked up at her huge friend and straightly said, "If she hadn't come through that rift you talk about then we would never have met.  Did you know that a wizard made her human like you did me?  She went to rescue all of the unicorns of her forest from the Red Bull which had driven them all into the sea and King Haggard who controlled the Red Bull and this wizard made her a woman and--"
"Shahly," the dragon interrupted, "I think you are missing the point."
A tear spilled from Amalthea's eye as she looked away and offered, "If you know a wizard who can open a new rift I can lead the Red Bull back to my world where it belongs."
Shahly turned back to her and insisted, "Ralligor is a wizard, but no one there can help you!  You said so yourself!"
"I can find Schmendrick," the elder unicorn said.  "Perhaps he will know what to do."
"And perhaps not," the dragon countered.  "Tell me about this red bull and how it came to be."
"I don't know how it came to be," Amalthea admitted.  "A long time ago it was controlled by an old man named King Haggard.  He made it hunt down the unicorns of my world and drive them into the sea where they were imprisoned."
Ralligor nodded.  "But it hadn't killed any."
"No, none that I know of."
"When did it first kill?"
"The first time I know of is when he struck down Prince Lir."  The memory of him hurt inside of her and showed in her eyes.  "I--I restored him…" She looked up at the dragon.  "I was angry.  I drove the Red Bull into the sea and that day King Haggard's castle collapsed into the waves.  The unicorns were free that day."
"But not you," the dragon guessed.
Her ears perked toward him.  "What do you mean?"
The dragon explained, "You feared the Red Bull until it angered you.  Until then it would have driven you into the sea with the rest.  Instead, it sensed your anger and retreated from you.  How long was it until it returned?"
Amalthea's eyes shifted about as she thought, then found the dragon's again and she answered, "Not quite a month.  He came looking for me in my forest.  I tried to drive him away and he almost killed me."
"He didn't kill you," the dragon pointed out.
Slowly shaking her head, Amalthea confirmed, "No, he didn't."
"You ran and managed to get away.  How long after that did you find the rift to this world?"
She considered again.  "A few days, I think."
"I don't think you found it by accident," the dragon said straightly.  "You were meant to find the rift and come through it with that bull right behind you."
Amalthea blinked and exchanged looks with Shahly.  "But who would want that?"
"Someone of power," was the dragon's answer.  "Someone who meant to take control of it once it was on this side.  It wasn't meant to keep chasing you all this time; it was meant to be used as a weapon for someone else, just as it had been before."  He raised a brow.  "It didn't seem to work.  This red bull of yours followed the only thing familiar to it.  That would be you, the only other creature of your world.  Where did you first emerge in this world?"
"Way to the west of here," she answered.  "I don't know for sure how far I've come or how long I've fled this way."
"Then I'm guessing somewhere in the Territhan Valley," the dragon informed.  "Someone there has been seeking a powerful weapon not of this world for some time, someone who knows the Territhan Prophesies.  Did you encounter any wizards or sorcerers in your travels?"
"I stayed away from others," the unicorn answered, "and avoided human villages and castles."
Nodding again, the dragon confirmed, "Instead of seeking them out for help like they were planning.  Well, it's pretty clear that you and your bull are here by design, not accident.  You were meant to find that rift to lead the bull through, but I think you were supposed to seek out help from someone who would gladly have taken control of it from you."
Shahly's eyes narrowed and she asked, "But who would do such a thing?"
"Who isn’t important," the dragon replied.  "The time has come for you to deal with this Red Bull once and for all."
"I don't know how," Amalthea admitted, despair in her voice.
"It's very easy," the dragon explained.  "It used your fear to drive you and your kind to the sea.  It retreated from your anger, and now it uses your sense of guilt to follow you.  Do you see where I'm going with this?"
Shahly blinked and admitted, "No."
Amalthea looked away.  "Regret.  I banished him to the sea, but he followed me because of my feelings.  He could feel my fear, my regret, my…" She turned wide eyes back up to the dragon's.
"It was created of emotions," Ralligor explained, "and it grows stronger with emotions.  But it has physical limitations.  When I fought it, it became weaker, not because of the physical battle it had with me, but because you felt hope that it would finally be defeated."
"I brought it back," Amalthea said absently.
Ralligor nodded.  "And you have sustained it all this time and didn't even know it."
She turned her eyes down, shaking her head.  "How do I fight something like that?  How do I fight something that has become such a part of me?"
"It has become a part of your emotions."
"But it backed away from me when I was angry."
"Was it your anger or your courage that it retreated from?"
She looked away and considered.
"You are all it has in this world," the dragon went on.  "I can fight it again when it reappears, but I think the results would be the same.  I can't defeat it.  Only you can.  You two go back to the forest.  It will find you there."
Shahly puzzled.  "If it will find us in the forest, then shouldn't we stay here?"
"No," Amalthea answered for him.  "I have to face him."
"We tried that before," the younger unicorn reminded.  "It didn't work."
"Of course not," the elder unicorn confirmed softly.  "I was still afraid of him then."
*          *          *
Dusk was overtaking the land before they arrived back at the forest.  Not much conversation was exchanged this time.  Amalthea's thoughts were consumed by the Red Bull and Shahly's lighthearted banter was simply not enough to raise her spirits.
A glade with tall, soft grass near a fast running brook offered a good place to bed down for the night, though one unicorn's thoughts remained restless.
With darkness falling, Shahly looked to her older companion once more and asked, "Are you sure you will be okay here by yourself?"
"I'll be fine," Amalthea answered absently.  "Go on and find your stallion.  We will decide what to do tomorrow."
"I'll be back at first light," Shahly assured.  "If the Red Bull finds you again before I get back then follow the paths to the East."
Amalthea nodded and offered her a strained smile.  "I will, Shahly.  Thank you.  I've enjoyed your company today."
Shahly nodded back, then turned and darted into the darkening forest.
Amalthea grazed for a time, then took a long drink before settling herself in for the night.  Lying down in the tall grass, she was completely concealed from eyes that would seek her from far away.  The babbling of the water was relaxing as the day had taxed her body and mind.  Very weary, she still would find sleep an elusive prize.
*          *          *
Something big snorted on the other side of the glade.
Amalthea's eyes flashed open and filled with the early morning light.  Heavy foot falls crushed grass and twigs as something big approached.  She slowly raised her head, her heart jumping as her eyes met those of the Red Bull only forty paces away.  He had found her again.
He stopped as he saw her.
She stared back for long seconds and a calm washed over her.  For the first time, she reached out to him with her essence and touched his mind.  Such anger she found, such hopeless despair, such regret…  She recognized these feelings.  At one time or another, they had all been a part of her, and the words of the dragon were fresh in her mind again.
The bull grunted and lowered his head.
Amalthea got to her hooves and slowly stalked toward the bull.  When it snorted and trumpeted at her, she did not flinch or hesitate as she had before.  At only ten paces away, she stopped and just stared back at him, leaning her head as she studied him with her eyes and essence more.
He snorted again.
She blinked, and finally said, "I know you've come to kill me.  I understand now.  But you don't."
He drew his head back, grunting almost inquisitively.
She took a few noiseless, graceful steps closer.  "I feel your anger and your hostility.  I also feel the wounds left by that dragon yesterday.  You can't win this battle.  If you kill me then the strongest part of you will die as well, and then you will."
His eyes narrowing, he took a step back and raised his head.
Shahly appeared behind her and took her side, also staring up at the bull.  A big bay unicorn, a stallion with a long black mane, tail and beard paced to her other side, his eyes locked on the Red Bull in a fearless stare.
Amalthea looked to them in turn, then she turned her eyes back up to the bull's and said, "It is time to end this.  I'm not afraid of you anymore, and after this day you will harm no one else."  Her horn glowed blue as she channeled her essence into it.
This seemed like an act of ultimate defiance and the bull roared and lowered his head, charging and closing the few paces between them with such speed that the other two unicorns barely moved in time.
Raising her horn to meet the Red Bull, Amalthea met his attack head-on.  An explosion of blue and red fire consumed them both and blasted Shahly and the stallion from their hooves and to opposite sides of the glade.  A shock tore through the forest and the unicorn's body was flung limply toward the brook, landing in the tall grass at its banks near where she had slept that night.  Birds fled from the trees all around and for a moment after there was no sound in this part of the forest.
Slow to raise her head and get her wits about her, Shahly sluggishly got to her hooves, then she looked to where she had last seen her friend, gasping as she saw only burnt grass and a haze of smoke instead.
Her stallion ran through the smoke and right up to her, whinnying, "Are you all right?"
"I think so," she answered, her eyes still darting about to find the other white unicorn.  She raised her head as she finally saw her lying motionless near the brook and she cried, "Amalthea!" as she turned and galloped to her.  As she reached her friend, she looked for any sign of breath or movement.  "Amalthea, open your eyes.  Wake up!  Amalthea!"
The stallion lowered his head and sniffed.  She had been singed by the fire from the tip of her horn halfway to her haunches.  He nudged her with his nose and she stirred ever so slightly.
Finally, slowly opening her eyes, she struggled to find focus, but finally saw the young unicorn staring down at her and offered a little smile.
The bay looked behind him, scanning the glade and surrounding forest as he asked, "Where did the ox go?"
Shahly glanced at him and corrected, "It's a bull, Vinton."
"He's home," Amalthea softly answered.  She slowly pulled her hooves under her and stood on legs that were not quite so stable, closing her eyes to collect herself as she drew a breath.  For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, the Red Bull no longer pursued her and she felt peace within herself at last.  "It's over.  It's finally over."
The stallion looked to the burnt place in the middle of the glade.  "You're sure it won't be back?  Shahly told me what happened yesterday with that dragon."
"I'm sure," she assured.  Looking to the younger unicorn, she said, "I need to speak to your dragon friend again."
"Oh, great," the bay grumbled.  "Why do you want to see him?"
"Vinton!" Shahly snapped.  "I know you don't like each other but must you be so rude?"
He snorted, then turned toward a path into the forest and grumbled, "Well, if we're going to go see him then let's get it over with."
Watching him, Amalthea leaned her head and asked, "He does not share your feelings for the dragon?"
Shahly glanced at her.  "No, he sure doesn't.  It's a long story that I can tell you on the way."
*          *          *
The journey back into the desert did not seem so long in the early morning, before the heat set in.  As before, Amalthea and Shahly conversed freely and enjoyed their time together.  Amalthea finally felt free and her spirit soared.  The stallion seemed content to listen for the most part, laughing with them but not really speaking much.
When they arrived at the mountains they found the black dragon sprawled on the sand at the opening of the canyon that led to his lair.  His wings were spread out over the ground in the sunlight and his eyes were closed.  One might have thought him dead if not for the slow rising and falling of his back.
While Amalthea was still hesitant to approach him, Shahly had no such reservations and walked right up to him, right up to the end of his nose.  Most creatures would have realized the danger of doing this, but this little white unicorn had absolutely no fear of him.  Vinton stood beside Amalthea, watching as his smaller mate seemingly defied certain death with this dragon yet again.
Leaning toward him, Amalthea observed, "She is fearless, isn't she?"
"I'm afraid so," he snarled.  "And it only seems to be getting worse."
The young unicorn bent her nose to him and softly whickered, "Ralligor.  Are you asleep?"
The dragon's scaly lip curled up and he answered, "Yes."
Shahly raised her head and declared, "No you're not!"  She butted his nose with hers.  "Come on and get up.  Amalthea needs to talk to you."
He vented a growling breath and slowly opened his eyes.  "What do you want now, Shahly?"  Looking behind her, he observed, "There's that other white unicorn again, and she's standing beside an old plow mule."
Vinton's eyes narrowed and he snorted.
Slowly raising his head, the dragon stretched his neck with a succession of loud cracks, then he turned his eyes to the elder white unicorn.  "You look like hell.  The bull found you?"
"This morning," she confirmed.
He nodded.  "I see.  So what happened to it?"
"He's home," Amalthea assured.
Ralligor crossed his arms before him.  "You seem to have survived it.  Does everything make sense now?"
She glanced at Vinton, then nodded.  "Everything you said makes sense.  I don't understand why I did not see it a long time ago."
Raising a brow, the dragon informed, "Well, sometimes it's difficult to see the forest when the trees block your view of it.  Are you ready to return home?"
She raised her head, her eyes widening as she breathed, "You can help me get home?"
"Of course I can," he assured.  "Just do me a favor when you get there."
"Anything."
"If you find any more rifts open between your world and mine, let me know."
"I will."
Shahly turned and paced to her, tears in her eyes as she asked, "Are you sure you can't stay?"
Amalthea met her eyes and smiled.  "I belong in my own forest, as you belong here."
"I'll miss you."
"And I you."  Looking away, Amalthea shook her head.  "Once again, I feel regret."
"I guess I feel it too," Shahly admitted.
The dragon growled, "If you two are finished, go down the canyon and turn into the first cave you see.  That will take you back to your own world."
She looked behind him, then back up at him and offered, "Thank you."
The dragon motioned behind him with his head and looked away.
Approaching Shahly, the two unicorns nuzzled each other, then Amalthea turned and touched her horn to Vinton's, saying, "I shall never forget you."  This goodbye needed to end quickly, so she turned and bolted past the dragon and down the canyon.  She did not run far when she saw the opening in the sandstone wall and stopped in front of it.  It was totally dark within and she stared into that darkness for a time, hesitant to enter but knowing her home was on the other side.
Slowly, she stepped into the darkness, unable to see where she was going.  She only went inside a few paces when familiar scents and familiar sounds of night creatures reached her.  Looking up as she heard bats, she was amazed to see stars in the night sky.  Her eyes adjusted and she could make out trees all around.  The scent of home was strong now.  She had been away for so long, yet she knew this place.  She knew the lilac wood.  Amalthea was home at last.
She spent some time wandering through her forest, then she finally laid down in the grass and closed her eyes, feeling a warmth within her that had been long absent.
As she peacefully drifted off to sleep, a huge form of red fire moved slowly through the trees in the distance.

A word from the author…

Thanks for reading Curse of the Red Bull.  I hope you enjoyed it.  For those many fans of Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn, you already know a lonely unicorn from the Lilac Wood and the Red Bull that hunted the unicorns.  This is a story that brings them together with a few characters from my own book, Shahly's Quest.  I contacted the Beagle camp when I had this idea to ask permission to write it.  I did so in the name of good form and out of respect for Mr. Beagle.  It seems that Mr. Beagle really likes fan fiction and enthusiastically offered his blessing. I got the story done and since then have reworked it and made a few subtle changes here and there until I got it where I wanted it.  Now, I have the OK from the Beagle camp to post this story.
During the process, I learned of Mr. Beagle's legal woes with the studio that produced The Last Unicorn.  Granada Media has not kept their promises to him, nor have they upheld their end of the contract.  After all of the work that Peter did for them, they have not given him what was promised.  And after many years of a long legal battle and the passing of his mother, he does not find himself in a good place.
So, I have joined the battle to correct this, and invite you to do the same.  Please go to this website, WWW.Conlanpress.com, and join the fight.  After over two and a half decades, it is time for Peter Beagle to collect on these promises and for Granada Media to do the honorable thing and pay him what they owe him!  The courts may be sluggish, but I feel that under the weight of our collective will, Granada Media must succumb and keep their promises!
To Peter Beagle and his business agent, Connor Cochran, thank you for your kindness and allowing me to join the battle.  

J. R. Knoll

Some sites of interest:
WWW.Conlanpress.com
WWW.MySpace.com/petersbeagle
(You can also go to MySpace and find many pages dedicated to The Last Unicorn)
WWW.peterbeagle.com