Welcome to Gaia! ::

The mist in the woods gained a garnet glow. The clouds had surrounded the moon and stars. The only light was that from a hungry glow. The thunder of massive hooves echoed. It was followed by the crash of toppled trees and the cries of fleeing animals. Their burrows and nests were destroyed. The ominous servant of King Haggard had no sympathy. It could not be stopped. It chased close after a blessing of unicorns. Their pure, white bodies reflected the fiery glow behind them. Their brilliant majesty was overwhelmed by the unrelenting force herding them through the forest.


A sleek silhouette shot across the forest’s floor. It was a vixen. A cross fox driven with purpose. She had to find a unicorn. The only unicorn in the woods who Haggard’s mighty servant had overlooked.

I have to find her! She might be my last chance!

She stopped and listened. There were so many animals fleeing it was difficult for her to focus. Her ears perked up. She heard a sound that was far away from the others. She rushed towards the noise, desperately hoping that she would find the unicorn.

The vixen stopped at the edge of a pond. The smoke filling the forest was killing her vision and sense of smell. The water from the pond reflected the burning forest. It looked like a pool of fire. Then she saw a shimmering form move in the reflection. Her head shot up and she saw the lone unicorn. She frantically skittered towards her objective.

“You must leave here now! He’ll take you like the others if you don’t!” The fox looked around and her body shivered. She slowly moved closer to the unicorn. It appeared that King Haggard’s monstrous servant hadn’t caught wind of this unicorn. “You’re lucky he didn’t find you. He’ll return some day for certain.” The source of the destruction had left with the unicorns. However, the inferno it made was still spreading.

I’m lucky too. Who knows how long it could take for me to find another unicorn. If there are any left. The vixen’s ears went down at the thought. They rose back up she looked at the unicorn’s face. It's been a while since I've been this close to one. She’s different from the rest. Subtle differences, but she should still be enough.

“The Red Bull… that’s what has taken them. You haven’t heard of King Haggard?” The vixen flicked her tail then stretched as she followed the unicorn. “He commands the Red Bull who herds any unicorn it finds to his castle at Hagsgate. He wants all of them. And from what I’ve heard, he has almost all of them.” She put her head down. Her breaths were slow from the smoke. She swayed a little before she lurched forward. It wasn’t just the smoke getting to her. She was exhausted. She tried to stay alert.

“Return them? He’d never do that. Wait… you want to go there?” Her eye slits widened. This makes things easier. I didn’t want to try to convince an immortal.

The fox struggled to keep up with the unicorn. “Who knows. He’s consumed with greed. Most humans I’ve met are. He’s not the only one who would wants a unicorn. There are lots of people out there would keep them in cages for coins or their own amusement. At least they don’t hunt you for your skin.”

She stumbled forward and laid flat on the ground. She struggled to keep her tea green eyes open. “Damn this curse. I haven’t slept in days. I rubbed a magician the wrong way and they casted a spell on me. Now every time I sleep, I have the same dream. I dream a white fire is chasing me. And every time I wake up, I feel a horrible, burning pain it starts at the tip of my tail and works its way up. It feels like a fire crawling across my whole body. And the feeling lasts longer each time… But… I can only go so long without sleeping.” Her breathing slowed and her head twitched. “They said they would lift spell as soon as King Haggard released all of his unicorns. They know this will never happen.”

“Most men are,” coughed the disillusioned fox. Her energy had been drained from all of the running and fending off sleep. Her trust in humans had faded long ago. She gathered her strength and jumped onto the unicorn’s smooth back. “I’ll guide you as far as I can. But the dreams will take me at some point. I’ll try not to scratch or bite you in my horrible slumber. Just follow the burned path of ruin.” The fading fox was silent and motionless for a while. The dreams slowly pulling her in. “At least I feel safer on the back of one who’s time is endless.”

She passed out soon after. She shook as she slept. The white fire in her dreams was brighter than ever. It grabbed at her tail and began burning it’s way up her. She whimpered and squirmed. Her slumber was never rejuvenating. The two states of being had melted together. She was always awake, even she was dreaming.

As their journey brought them closer to Hagsgate, the days became dimmer. Clouds kept the sun hidden, melting the days and nights into a single line of misery. And as her curse worsened, the fox strained to tell night from day and dream from reality. The burning pain lasted longer each time and she could only go so long without sleep. When they finally saw King Haggard’s castle in the distance, the pain was constant. The only thing keeping the defeated vixen together were the always unwavering words of the unicorn.

“Careful not to be seen by any wandering men, “ she warned the unicorn. “Men will not see you as a unicorn. You’ll only appear as a white mare to them. But a pretty and healthy horse is still a thing of great value to the people here. Most of the animals here have already suffered from Haggard’s miserable reign.” She scanned the surroundings to the best of her ability. She couldn’t handle any delays.

As they moved closer to the borders of Hagsgate, she became increasingly nervous. “The Red Bull could be near. I don’t want to have come all this way only to lose you to that beast, my friend.” Her ears went down and she nudged the unicorn’s neck with her head. Her heart beat faster.

I won’t let Haggard have you. Not while I need you...

“If Haggard has almost of the unicorns in the world, then where does he keep them? The castle just doesn’t seem capable of holding all of them. They might be beneath the castle. The Red Bull might be there guarding them too. We should come around from the side or behind. I can smell the ocean. I wonder in what way Haggard has managed to suck away the sea’s majesty.” The vixen dreaded seeing the ocean near King Haggard’s castle. She imagined it to be void of life like the empty-hearted ruler. She crept through decayed land with her unicorn companion.

The cursed fox’s eyes glowed when finally beheld the sea. Amongst the shimmering sea foam and waves were unicorns. All of Haggard’s most precious treasures struggled and splashed along the shore. Far more than the vixen could count. “Why the sea? The mad fool… Why do they stay there? Is it a spell or something much worse?” She trembled as she felt a rumble in the sand. Her heart began pounding like a steady war drum. She didn’t have to turn her head to know what was coming towards them.

The Red Bull had awoken. Its burning glow spread across the shore as it moved towards the unicorn. It covered her tracks in the sand as it lumbered forward. Saliva dripped from its mouth like lava and its eerie eyes focused only on the unicorn. The vixen’s ears lowered and she stared at the blazing behemoth struck with awe and terror. “All of these unicorns didn’t stop the bull. How can you?”

The Red Bull charged forward. Its massive hooves thundered across the sand. It’s one goal was to herd this lone unicorn into the sea. The unicorn’s diminutive companion struggled to dart out of the hell creature’s path. It’s not fair. We’ve come this far, only to face an unstoppable force? What can I do? Nothing? I must try to at least distract the bull. He has no interest in me. He only wants her. This burning curse… I’d rather feel it forever than have to see her forced into the sea. The vixen made her futile attempt to distract the bull. She sprang up high towards the bull. She couldn’t even make contact with the Red Bull’s body. The sheer power radiating from it burned her and knocked her back onto the ground. In the briefest moment, she was paralyzed on the ground.