When Shahly met Ralligor

Mountains of tan stone streaked with orange and red stood ahead of her.  Snow capped only the highest peaks.  No trees grew on their slopes; they were just bare stone.

Untold hours had passed when Shahly stopped and looked around her.  Nearly all cover was gone; only round clumps of brush, many different cacti and boulders dotted the landscape.  The ground, which was very soft beneath her hooves, was tan and red sand, speckled by red, pink, gray and black pebbles.  The air was very dry and the sun was already uncomfortably hot.

Traveling on the breeze were the faint smells of nectars, some sweet and others bitterly unpleasant.  Even in this desolation, Shahly could smell many animals and occasionally a bird would sing from one of the bushes or tall cacti that somehow grew in this forbidding land.

She looked behind her, unable to see her human pursuers, but knowing they were following her, feeling their presence in the distance, especially the black haired human.
Then she noticed her hoof prints in the sand.

She turned ahead again and just stared for a moment, then whinnied, "No wonder I cannot lose them!"

Another look back and she trotted forward again, angling toward the mountains.  Stone would not leave tracks like sand would and finding a good place to hide would be far easier.

The mountains did not seem very far away, but she trotted for nearly an hour before reaching them.  The long journey had left her weary and very thirsty.

After climbing a shallow slope of sand and various sized and shaped rocks, she stopped at the base, stepping onto the wide stone ledge and looked up it.  The sun was nearly to the other side and already some of the shallow caves and ledges offered shade from the uncomfortable heat, though her throat was very dry and she would have preferred water.

Shahly turned and paced along the mountain, following the flat stone ledge at the mountain base and glancing at the cool stone frequently.  The tan stone would occasionally give way to a dark gray stone, almost black.  Dotted in this rock were small gemstones that sparkled brilliantly, almost like water.

Her ears perked as they caught the sound of falling water ahead.  She quickened her pace, not seeing the water but finally able to smell it on the breeze which seemed to circle the mountain.  Thirty more paces and the smell was stronger and joined by many plants and cacti.

A large boulder blocked her path so she hopped down from the stone ledge, back onto the slope of sand and rocks and trotted toward the sound.  The sand was very loose here and her hooves sank deeply into it, making her journey more difficult, but she finally rounded the boulder and stopped as she saw the pool ahead of her.

The dark gray stone of the mountain was hollowed out twice Shahly’s height, at least thirty paces wide and about ten paces deep.  It was taller and narrower at the rear where a tiny waterfall cascaded down the bare gold and crystals at the back.  White and crystal stalactites hung from the ceiling, mostly toward the rear, each slowly dropping its little beads of water into the pool below.  Shimmers of light danced and sparkled on the walls and ceiling.

All around the hollow, ferns, small fruit bearing trees, bushes and clumps of lush grass flourished, a miniature forest in the middle of all of this desolation.

Shahly coughed, her dry throat reminding her still again to drink.   As she paced toward the water, one of her hooves found something hard beneath the sand.

It moved!

Shahly jumped half her height in the air and backward, landing stiffly three paces away and facing the moving sand with her head low and her eyes very wide.  She stepped back further, watching the sand part as something horrible began to emerge.

Its modular, glossy brown tail, ending in a long, hooked stinger flanked by black pincers, burst from the sand first, curling over its body which rose quickly from the sand.  Black claws as long as Shahly’s head thrust upward and opened wide, ready to grasp.  They were slender and pointed near the tips, growing wider as they reached the arms of the beast.  Like a crustacean crawling from the water, the scorpion walked from the sand on powerful black legs, propelling its dark bronze, horse-sized armored body easily from the sand.

Shahly knew scorpions were blind as she had encountered much, much smaller ones in the forest, but this one had more of a bulbous head with two huge, black-red eyes directed forward, giving it something of the features of a giant leaping spider of the forest.

It turned slightly, directing those huge eyes on Shahly, then it was still.

Unicorn and scorpion stared at one another for long seconds.

Shahly glanced at the small oasis, then looked down at the creature before her.  She did not want to test her horn against it and was certain it would not hesitate to wield its deadly weapons against her, so she bored into it with her essence, looking for its mind.  What she found was so alien that she had no idea how to read it, or even what it was she felt.

It thrust its claws toward her, clacking them loudly.

Shahly whinnied and jumped back.

To her horror, the scorpion pursued.

Shahly turned and fled, running as hard as she could away from it.

Some distance later she looked over her shoulder.

Though she had put some distance between herself and the scorpion, it was surprisingly fast and still in pursuit.

She turned ahead, finding a hill of piled boulders and sand before her, and headed for it.  Avoiding the shaded side, she wheeled around it as fast as she could, feeling the sand shifting beneath her hooves as she ran.  The few impressions she had gotten from the scorpion’s mind did not lead her to believe it was very intelligent, and she reasoned out-maneuvering it would be easy.

She ran as close to the hill as she dared, veered sharply around a large boulder and locked her hooves firmly into the sand, sliding to a quick stop five paces in front of the humans she had been fleeing.

They all looked as surprised as she felt.

Shahly looked behind her and saw the scorpion still coming, then turned and fled back toward the mountains, looking back to see the humans after her again.

Ahead, she saw an opening in the mountains, a canyon or pass she could flee through and hopefully find a place to hide.  Running at a full gallop between the walls of glistening gray and orange and tan stone, Shahly noticed to her dismay that they narrowed and grew taller ahead.  She was exhausted and her throat burned for water, and her pace slowed.

She turned with the canyon, kicking her stride as long as she could as the walls seemed to open up and the path became very wide, then she locked her hooves into the sand again, dropping her haunches nearly to the ground as the canyon walls suddenly came together in a sheer face of gray, tan and red rippled stone.

"Oh, no!" she cried, staring up at the stone cliff before her.

She turned her eyes ahead, locking them into the blackness of a cave that opened before her.

It was over six times her height at the highest point and at least as wide.

Shahly glanced around her, noticing the stone all around was blackened and deep red in places, burnt, and countless bones were strewn all over the place.  A burnt odor lingered in the air and the sulfur smell of brimstone was potent here.

She felt something humming within her essence.  It was beautiful, yet menacing and unfamiliar.  Even at rest as it was, the power and overwhelming presence of intricate thoughts cascading about intrigued her.  Such a fantastic mind this was.

Yet, there was something about that mind, something the elders had taught her.  It seemed infinite and very complex, very intelligent.

Predatory!

She gasped and backed away.

This was the mind of a dragon!

She heard something cut the air behind her and a rope dropped over her head and tightened brutally around her neck.

"Got her!" a human shouted from behind.

The rope was pulled hard and Shahly staggered, then turned fully and tried to back away from the humans who were fanned out and advancing on her.

Whinnying sharply, she reared up and pulled back against the rope, but the other end was tied to the saddle and she could not match the horse’s strength.  Channeling her essence into her horn, which began to glow emerald, she brought the spiral down onto the rope.  
Her horn should have cut right through the rope, but somehow the rope struck back, sparks exploding from it where her horn touched it.  The painful sensation, like fire lancing through every part of her, nearly rendered her unconscious.

As she staggered, struggling to keep her hooves under her, another rope fell over her head, tightening around her neck.

Regaining her wits somewhat, she shook her head and fought hard against her captors, whinnying and trying to leap backward.

Even through her fear, Shahly felt the presence in the cave awaken and explode into a strength and awareness she had never even imagined before.

She stopped struggling and looked over her shoulder, her flanks still heaving as she stared fearfully into the cave.  The mind of the dragon seemed to sweep through the canyon and she felt it whirl around her.

Her heart thundered.  It knew all of the creatures in the canyon.  It knew her!  And yet, it masked itself.  She knew it was dragon, but could not feel the extent of its power, nor could she peer into its emotions or thoughts.

Hoof beats approached and she tore her eyes away from the cave, seeing the black haired human sitting atop his agitated horse.  He, too, stared into the blackness as if he sensed the presence, then he turned his horse and rode toward the other men, ordering, "Release the unicorn.  We have to leave."

Shahly watched him ride past the other humans, and one protested, "We’ll not give up our bounty on this animal!"

The black haired human stopped and looked back at him.  "She will only slow us.  I suggest you lower your voice and come with me."  He raised his chin.  "Unless you intend to face what is in that cave."

"There be nothin’ in there," another sneered.  "Quit actin’ the coward and get a rope on ‘er."

The black haired human glanced at Shahly, into the cave, then turned and continued on his way.

"You’ll get no share of this bounty, then," one of the humans shouted.

Shahly looked back into the cave.  Something in there moved!

Near panic, she turned back and pulled hard against the ropes, rearing up and whinnying loudly.

A horse responded, throwing his rider.

The humans pulled back hard on the ropes, tightening them around her neck.

A faint, thunderous growl rolled from the cave.

Shahly came down and stared blankly ahead.

One of the humans jerked on his rope.

"Careful!" one shouted.  "We don’t need her injured!"

Aware of the humans, she barely felt them now, and barely noticed one of them slowly approaching her on foot.  She looked directly at him and he stopped five paces away.
He raised his chin to her and said, "She thinks there’s somethin’ in that cave, too."

"Nonsense," another scoffed.  "Nothin’s in there, mate.  Maybe a toothless old bear or a hermit gnome.  See if you can get another loop around ‘er neck."

Shahly’s ears perked as she heard movement within the cave again, and she looked over her shoulder.

"Stallion and mare they are," another human observed.  "Worth their weight in gold, I’ll say."

"Aye, she’ll pay a pretty copper for two," another laughed.

"She’ll pay more than a copper for these two, mate."

Shahly looked back to the humans.  The man on foot had advanced a pace and held his rope ready.  The others watched her and continued to talk among themselves, and it became clear that they really did not know what was in the cave.

"We have to flee this place!" she whinnied to them as she struggled again to free herself.
The human on foot advanced slowly.

Shahly glanced around as she felt the mind of the dragon whirl around the canyon again.
How can they not sense that? she asked herself.

A thunderous growl erupted from the cave.

The human on foot froze, and dropped his rope.

Every nerve in Shahly’s body was suddenly alert.  She looked to the humans, noticing they all looked very uneasy, as if they finally realized what was in the cave.

A ground shaking thump echoed from the cave, then another.  Another, closer.

The dragon was coming out!

Shahly bolted forward, stopping as she reached her human captors.  Somehow, she felt a little safer among them.

The thumping stopped.

Just out of the light, Shahly could see the eyes of the dragon.  They glowed crimson, offering a hint of his head and the scaly brow that was held low.

Shahly still could not sense his emotions, but she knew disturbing him had not been a wise thing to do.

The dragon growled again.

"Slowly, mate," one of the humans said softly, very monotone.  "Ready that spear."

Another power awakened, something she had felt in the forest that morning.

Glancing to her side, Shahly noticed one of the humans held the long, barbed stick that the horse had been carrying.  It glowed violet at the tip and hummed with a bitter power that felt of death, and it felt poisonous.

She drew a quick breath, looking back to the cave.

The humans meant to turn it on the dragon!

Another growl echoed from the cave, then the sound of a gusty wind.

"Ready," the human said.

Fire exploded from the mouth of the cave, lancing out in many directions like long tentacles of flame.

Horses whinnied; humans yelled.

Shahly danced backward, turning her eyes away from the heat.  Feeling it stop, she looked back to the cave, wincing as her eyes found what remained of the human who had been on foot, only a blackened skeleton within the white silhouette of ash that had been his body.  She looked back, watching as the remaining four humans tried to regain control of the horses and regroup.  Turning her eyes down, she noticed the ropes meant to hold her had been severed by the fire.

A shuffle and heavy drag on the stone within the cave drew her attention back there.  She retreated a few steps, watching with wide eyes as the dragon emerged.

Clearly fearless of the humans, the dragon seemed to casually lope out of the cave on all fours, the sunlight reflecting many dark greens and blues from his black scales.  His brilliantly glowing eyes darted from human to human.  He stopped as he saw Shahly.  His eyes consumed her.

A horse whinnied and a human shouted, "Ready that spear!"

The dragon’s eyes turned behind her.  His long, slender snout parted as his scaly lips drew up, baring many pointed teeth, some nearly the size of Shahly’s foreleg, and a growl erupted from his throat.

He watched the humans for a long moment, then arched his back and stood.  Beneath his armor scales he was very heavily muscled, and thick limbs betrayed strength Shahly had never even imagined.  His arms were as thick as her body and ended in clawed hands not unlike the human’s, yet very similar to a hawk’s.  His hindquarters were even bigger, his claws digging into the ground.

As his head turned one direction, Shahly got a good look at the horns which swept back from above and behind his eyes.  Dorsal scales formed a rigid mane starting small between his eyes and growing larger and more armor like as they made their way down his neck and back, then smaller all the way to the end of his long, thrashing tail.

Standing fully, he was over five times taller than any of the humans.

Shahly glanced behind her, noticing the humans had regrouped and were holding their ground about ten paces behind her.  They all had weapons in their hands, one holding the glowing spear.  Nervously, they looked up at the dragon, mumbling amongst themselves.
She looked back to the dragon, seeing his attention on the humans, and a cold feeling swept through her again as she realized they meant to fight, and she was standing right between them.

Still staring up at the dragon, Shahly backed away a few paces, then turned and trotted to the canyon wall some fifteen paces away where she could safely watch the outcome.

A human waved his arm and ordered, "Spread out.  We don’t need to be givin’ him a group of us to strike at once."

"He’ll burn us all," one of the humans whimpered.

"No," the one with the spear corrected, riding even closer.  "He’ll not use fire so close to himself."  He glanced at one of the others near the dragon’s side and nodded.

The other human yelled and threw his axe at the dragon.

In the blink of an eye, the dragon caught the axe between his fingers.

The human with the spear hurled it at the dragon with a true aim.

Again, the dragon raised his hand, catching the spear on a green cushion of light in his palm.  Fire and lightning exploded from his hand and the spear was gone in a puff of smoke.

The dragon’s piercing stare bored into the human who had thrown the spear, and he pointed a clawed digit at him.  A brilliant emerald light lanced from the end of the dragon’s claw and slammed into he human’s chest and through his body, rolling him backward from his horse.  In that instant, the human’s life force was gone.

Shahly stared down at the lifeless, smoking body of the human for long seconds.  The dragon had killed him so easily, and with a power the elders had never spoken of. She looked back at the humans, realizing they had no chance.

Silently, the other humans and horses backed away as the dragon’s attention returned to them.

Shahly still could sense nothing from the dragon, but she felt levels of fear from the humans that she did not even know they could feel, something more than prey fearing a predator.

She looked back up to the dragon.

His chest swelled as he drew a deep breath, then his jaws gaped, baring those menacing white teeth and he roared, fire exploding from his gape and reaching over the heads of the humans like an ominous cloud of doom.

They turned and fled, screaming.

The flames quickly thinned and died as the dragon’s jaws closed, and he growled deeply, striding toward the fleeing humans with heavy, ground shaking steps.

Then he stopped, turning his huge head, his teeth bared.  Powerful muscles tensed, drawing the scale mane from his head to the end of his tail more erect as he looked right at Shahly.

Vinton’s capture, the humans chasing her, even the giant scorpion in the desert seemed miniscule at this particular moment.

With another deep growl, the dragon turned fully, stomping toward her.

Shahly found herself cornered and facing her kind’s deadliest enemy, and for the first time in her life she knew absolute terror!  Her wide eyes darted to one side, then the other, and she realized that she could never get around this great beast.  She tried to back away, stopped by the canyon wall.  Staring up at him with fear filled eyes as his scaly lips drew away from his sword sized teeth, her heart thundered and she tried desperately to back away further as she pondered what to do, and could find no way out, but for one.

Though the elders had taught her seasons ago that her essence was deadly to dragons and that her horn could easily penetrate a dragon’s armor-like hide where little else could, Shahly knew nothing of combat.  Sparring with the other unicorns of the herd had always been something of play, something to be enjoyed with another.  The dragon was so huge, so powerful.

The dragon’s scaly lips parted again, baring those horrible teeth as he growled.  The red glow of his eyes became brighter, even against the light of day.

Trembling, Shahly channeled her essence through her horn, which began to glow emerald, and she directed its tip at the dragon’s chest.

With another growl, the dragon shook the ground with a single step wide and toward her.  His wings opened and his jaws gaped.  Long, sharp claws curled.  Muscles tensed and bulged beneath his scales.  Somehow, he seemed even bigger.

Shahly knew she had little chance against him, but something much more important was at stake:  Vinton.  She did not want to die, nor did she want to live without the stallion she loved, even if he was not to choose her.  What horrors must he be facing?  Somehow, she had to survive and save him.

Setting her fear aside, she glared up at the dragon and channeled as much of her essence as she could muster into her horn, arching her neck to bring her horn to bear on the dragon’s heart, then she snorted and kicked at the ground.

The dragon responded with an ear shattering roar.

Shahly reared up and lunged at him.

He flinched away, then opened his jaws and slammed them shut half of Shahly’s length away from her.

Startled, she leaped aside, then whinnied, reared up again and jumped at him.

With a single step back, the dragon was out of range, yet was still close enough to strike at her.

Shahly ducked and watched the dragon’s claws swipe closely over her in a quick blur, then she dodged away as he struck again and tried to circle around him.
He turned fully, crouching to strike at her again.

Shahly knew she would have to brave his claws and strike at his hand when he swung at her again.  Then came a horrid thought.  She would have to kill him.  Projecting her essence at him would only stun him at best, if she was even strong enough to contend with his armor.  She would have to plunge her horn into him, through his armor and loose her essence inside of him.  The thought sickened her.  Killing was something she could never do.

Though terrified, Shahly bravely raised her head and met the dragon’s eyes with her own.
The dragon drew his head back, raising a scaly brow as a soft growl rolled from his throat.  He just stared back at her for long seconds, then demanded in a booming voice, "Why did you lead humans here?"  His words echoed through the canyon.

She cringed at the authority and volume of his voice and timidly answered, "I did not mean to disturb you!  They chased me here from the forest and I just ran to get away from them!"

He nodded.  "I see.  So you led them here to get me to kill them for you."

"No!" Shahly gasped.  "I wish death on no one!"

"Not even me?" the dragon bellowed.

"Why should I wish death on you?"

The dragon bent toward her and roared, "Because we’re enemies!"

Shahly retreated, shaking her head as she confessed, "But I don’t want to be your enemy."

The dragon leaned his head.  "Because you don’t want me to kill you?  Is that it?"

"Yes," Shahly admitted shakily.

Drawing his head back, the red glow in the dragon's eyes fading until all that remained were the true colors of his eyes; round black-red pupils within pale blue.  He glanced aside, then looked back to her and said, "I suppose I couldn’t ask for a more honest answer than that."  He looked down at her hooves.  "You know, your stance could use some work."

Her ears swiveled toward him.  "My what?"

"If you are going to fight a dragon then you need to have your hooves planted more firmly and further apart, that way you can outmaneuver him when he comes at you."

She leaned her head.  "Outmaneuver him?  What do you mean?"

"Dragons are too big to be very nimble on the ground," the dragon explained, "so it’s an advantage you need to exploit.  You should also avoid getting yourself cornered."  He retreated a few steps.  "All I would have to do is back away and use fire.  Unicorns have no defense against that."

Shahly nodded.

The dragon approached again and seated himself catlike before her.  "Never fought a dragon before, have you?"

She raised her head, answering, "No.  You are the first dragon I have even seen this close."

A hint of amusement touched his eyes.  "You don’t say?  Well, there’s still much you need to learn before you challenge any more dragons, little unicorn."

She glanced away and admitted, "Well, I never intended to challenge a dragon."

"Just like you never intended to be chased by humans?"

Shahly nervously laid her ears back.  "Some say humans are evil.  They also say dragons are evil.  Is it true?"

The dragon shook his head.  "No, little unicorn.  Good or evil is a choice made by individuals, not an inborn trait of a species."

She leaned her head.  "You don’t seem evil."

He reached to her, gently loosened the ropes around her neck and pulled them over her head.  "I’ll take that as a compliment."

"The humans didn’t either, yet they hunt unicorns."

The dragon carelessly tossed the rope from him and informed, "Humans are weird.  You shouldn’t trust them or the legends about them."

Shahly watched the ropes land some distance away, then sighed, "They captured Vinton."
"Who?" the dragon asked in a half-interested tone.

Feeling tears well up in her eyes, Shahly turned and paced around the dragon.  "My… He is a stallion of my herd.  The other humans took him."

"How unfortunate," the dragon observed.

Shahly looked back at the dragon.  "I have to go.  Thank you for saving me and for your advice.  I won’t forget you."  She turned and bolted away from him, running hard down the canyon and back into the desert.

Following her own tracks in the sand, now fully shadowed by the mountain, she ran the way she had come, slowing to a trot, then a walk.

Too far.  Too much time to think.

Though her thoughts raced around Vinton and his freedom, new thoughts invaded her weary mind, bringing her to a stop.

How would she find Vinton?  How would she rescue him?

Her throat was dry; her body ached.

Thirst was a more immediate concern.

Looking ahead of her, she knew she would have to find water soon.  She knew where to find it.  It was not far away, nor was the nightmare that guarded it.

She started forward again, then trotted toward the scent of the water, following her own tracks in the sand and the two sets left by the scorpion.  She knew it would be waiting there for her, but so was the water that could save her life.

A short trek later she stopped some thirty paces from where she had encountered the scorpion before.  Its tracks stopped at a bulge in the sand where it had buried itself to wait for its next victim.

Shahly stepped very lightly around where she knew the scorpion to be, keeping her eyes locked on the bulge in the sand.  She could feel its presence in there, resting, yet strangely alert.

The sand moved.

Shahly froze.

Hesitantly, she continued on, gingerly ascending the shallow slope.

As her hooves found stone again, she turned ahead and looked over the pool, drawing a deep breath as the beauty of it warmed her.

Delicate ripples glided across the surface of the clear water.  It appeared to be very deep, its bottom made of jewels and shiny stones.  She did not see fish or moss living in the water and could smell no life in it.  All around the water grew lush grasses, ferns, tiny shrubs and small fruit bearing trees.  The water itself smelled pure, like spring rain and was too inviting to wait for any longer.

As she approached the pool and bent her nose to it she felt her hoof strike a rock. Looking back, she watched as it rolled from the stone ledge and down the slope of sand, and she winced as it struck the bulge there.

Her heart jumped as the scorpion rose from the sand and turned toward her, its claws held ready.

The dragon had spared her, had shown mercy.

This monster could feel no such things and only seemed to be interested in its next meal.
Cornered again, Shahly remained still and waited for the scorpion to approach, or charge, or something!

It, too, remained motionless.

Shahly’s body ached and her throat burned from thirst.  She had to drink, but she dare not take her eyes from the scorpion.

It rose up, widening its pincers, then quickly pivoted to one side, toward the canyon and the dragon’s lair.

Shahly looked that way, then heard the thump.  Another shook the ground.  Another, closer.  Another.

Shahly turned fully as she saw the dragon stride around the mountain, walking upright and hunched over as dragons would walk.  His tail was not dragging behind him, rather it swayed back and forth as he walked.  She backed away a few steps, wanting to flee but still very fearful of the scorpion, and still needing to drink.  Coldness swept through her as he looked down at her.

He raised a brow, then looked down to the scorpion and tossed the body of one of the humans he had killed toward it.

She looked to the scorpion as it quickly seized the human and seemed to slam it into what could only be its mouth, right between its arms, then it turned and pushed itself beneath the sand, scurrying out of sight with its prize.

Slowly, she turned her eyes back to the dragon, who had stopped a few paces away and stared back at her.

"I thought you might come here," he informed.

Shahly looked back to the buried scorpion.

"My sentinel," the dragon explained.  "Water is scarce here in the hard lands, so I find it best that I guard what little I have."

She looked up at him.  "But what about the other creatures who live out here?  They need to drink too."

"Not those who get eaten by my sentinel.  Only the quick and clever get to drink—and those who are in my favor."  He motioned toward the water with his head and ordered, "Drink your fill, little unicorn.  I doubt you will make if far if you don’t."

Shahly looked back to the water and took one final step toward it, then looked up at the dragon and softly said, "Thank you," then she lowered her head to drink.  The water was very sweet, the purest she had ever tasted, and she could feel its soothing coolness all the way down her throat and into her belly.

Sand and gravel crunched beside her.

Still drinking, Shahly looked that way.

The dragon’s clawed hand settled onto the ground beside her.  His jaws gaped as he lowered his head to the pool and scooped a quarter of Shahly’s weight in water into his lower jaw, then retreated, his throat sagging under the weight of the water.
Shahly watched him rise up slightly, water raining down from his jaw as he raised his nose and easily swallowed the water in one gulp.  She quickly noticed the water level of the pool had dropped.

Turning her eyes back to the dragon, she saw every reason she needed to fear him, yet the terror she should have experienced in that moment was absent.  He was not like the fierce predators she had been told of.  Clearly, the elders were wrong about them.

"You’re thinking awfully hard about something," he observed.

She flinched at the booming sound of his voice and raised her nose from the water, staring at him for a moment, then admitted, "I was wondering about you."

The dragon raised his brow.  "Oh?"

"You are different than the dragons I have been told about.  The elders say a dragon’s instinct is to kill unicorns when you see us."

"Do they, now?"  The dragon sounded amused.  "Well, perhaps I am unique among dragons."
"It isn’t true, is it?  What the elders say."

The dragon shook his head.  "No, it isn’t.  Dragons won’t kill without a reason."
Shahly looked back to the pond, feeling her faith in her elder’s words was no longer so absolute.

"Don’t get discouraged," the dragon said sympathetically.  "There are at least as many misconceptions about dragons as there are about unicorns."

Shahly nodded, then she looked up at him again and asked, "Why didn't you eat the human?"
He snarled and drew his head away from her.  "Have you ever tasted one of those?"  When she grimaced, he finished, "I see you haven't.  If you had, you would understand."

She nodded again and took another drink, then turned away from the pond and paced down the slope, now even more curious about him, though finding Vinton was a far more immediate concern.  "I should be going.  Thank you for your help and for allowing me to drink."

"Watch your step," the dragon advised quickly.

Shahly froze, remembering the buried scorpion.  She heard the dragon stand and looked back at him.

"You need to be careful traveling through the hard lands," he informed.  "There are dangers out here you would not think to look for."

"I will be," she assured, then turned and paced on, circling wide around the buried scorpion.

She felt the dragon’s eyes on her for some time, but when she looked back, he was gone, though his presence lingered somehow.

A long journey was ahead, and too much time to think.

                                                    **

Shadows grew long before her as she trekked back toward her forest.  Her belly groaned, demanding food, but she barely noticed as Vinton occupied her every thought.  She missed him and her heart ached at the thought of never seeing him again.

Hours later, as the sunlight grew dim and the shadows melted together, Shahly paced through the scrub country, wandering aimlessly until she glanced up and noticed something she recognized.

Ahead of her she saw the grove of trees and brush she had visited before, smelled the water and lush grass within it.  Birds sang their songs of night and the clicking of bats danced on the air all around.

She paced around the thicket and found the trail that led into it.  Without the sun above, the trail was very dark and she could barely see where she was going, and was thankful for the brightness of the moon.

Walking carefully and feeling her way along with her essence, she paced to the center, to the pond, and took a long drink.  Having quenched her thirst, she nibbled at the grass near the pond, then lay down in the tall grass near the trees and tried to sleep.

Half the night passed.

A nearly full moon illuminated the pond and clearing in a soothing blue light.

Shahly’s weary mind could find no rest.  Still in her memory was the horror of her one true love's capture, and the knowledge that she might never see him again.  Tears escaped from her eyes as she closed them and she sobbed, "It isn’t fair.  It just isn’t fair."

A restless sleep claimed her some time later and she was finally swept into dreams.

Vinton was not to be found here, either.