Into The Rising Sun
King Storr stood waiting at the entrance to his den, ears
pricked forward.
Around the den, laying, sitting or even standing, was the rest of the Pack.
Also waiting. Storr looked over the assembled Pack, then turned his
attention to the creature beside him.
Simon was a powerful unicorn. His black hair had splotches of grey around
the muzzle, and his horn carried many spirals indicating his great age. The
soft brown eyes, full of wisdom, looked upon Storr.
Storr, King of the Dark Horns Pack, looked back at the King of the Dark
Horns Unicorns, the Herd that Storr's Pack was sworn to protect, and smiled
a wolfish smile.
Whispers and whines turned Storr's attention back to the surrounding Pack in
time to see the return of William.
The black furred Great Cat limped into view. Storr felt a small amount of
guilt rise up at the sight of the long, shallow wound on the Great Cat's
shoulders. He squashed it immediately. Storr had done what was necessary.
Had done what his forefathers had done since the first Great Cat had been
Tamed.
Thousands of years before, the Great Cats had hunted the Unicorns. The Great
Cats were loners. Only coming together to mate, and once mated, the male
left, and the female raised her cubs alone. The Great Cats were powerful
Hunters. Swift and deadly. One of the few creatures that would actively hunt
dragons and gryphons, and could actually kill them. When they developed a
taste for Unicorn meat, the Great Cats then had to contend with the Packs.
In a one on one fight, the great Cats could take a Pack Member, but Pack
Members never hunted alone. A Pack could easily take down a Great Cat once
the Cat was found. Then one day, Kyron, the Unicorn Stallion for the High
Snows Herd, managed to call a meeting of the Herds and Pack. the Leaders for
all Packs and Herds gathered in the High Snows territory, and learned of the
Prophecy. The Great Cats could not be hunted to extinction, and Kyron had a
plan. The High Snows pack had captured a Great Cat. A beautiful beast with
white fur, and black stripes. Kyron used his power to bond the Great One to
the High Snows Pack Leader, Mylar. Once bonded, the Great Cat was no longer
a threat to the unicorns because the bond made him loyal and obedient to the
Pack Leader. From that moment on, all Pack Leaders were bonded to a Great
Cat so that there would always be Great Cats, and the Prophecy would be
fulfilled.
Returning his mind to the present, Storr watched as William limped to were
Storr stood in front of the entrance to his den. In William's mouth was a
small black cub that mewled softly.
William sat the cub on the ground and prostrated himself before his King.
William knew he had done wrong when he had tried to defy his King. He had
not wanted to bring the cub. Storr had given William the wound, a reminder
of who was Leader.
Storr saw other wounds on William, and knew that they had been made by his
mate. Storr wondered if William's mate was dead. It happened sometimes.
After all a mother would not give up her cub willingly.
Storr moved forward. He licked the wound he had made on William's shoulder
to show that he acknowledged William's surrender, and that William was
forgiven. Then he picked up the cub in his mouth and took it inside the den.
There the female he had chosen to have his first born son waited. Between
her legs, suckling heartily, was a small grey cub. Storr's son and heir.
Storr placed the black cub next to the grey pup, and watched as the tiny cat
found a teat and began to suckle.
Smiling, Storr watched his son and his son's Cat suckle, and pride filled
him. Outside, the Pack began to Sing, Calling to the Spirits to witness the
event. Storr joined his voice to the Calling, and laughed when he heard the
snarl of a Great Cat.
Growling softly, Blair pounced the black tail that was
swishing past him,
taunting him to catch it. William watched in amusement as the young prince
pounced, missing the tail completely. But in moving his tail from Blair's
reach, William placed it in the perfect position for his son, Jim, to grasp
it. The small black cub managed to wrestle the offending tail into a
surrender.
A laugh brought William's and the cubs attention to Blair's father, King
Storr, who had watched the cubs play.
Suddenly, Blair pounced his adopted litter mate. With an ooof!, Jim fell
flat on his belly. Blair gripped Jim's ruff between his milk teeth, and
growled softly. Jim mewed his surrender to Blair, who growled triumphantly.
Blair loosened his hold a little in his victory, and suddenly found himself
on his back, as Jim moved with swiftness to roll them over and pin Blair.
William laughed, pleased.
Storr snorted, and trotted over as Jim got off Blair. Picking up his son by
the scruff of his neck, Storr walked outside the den. William immediately
stood and took Jim in his mouth, powerful jaws carefully wrapped out his
son's middle, and followed Storr.
Outside the den, Storr moved with a purpose, breaking into a gentle trot
that he could keep up for hours. William followed as best he could.
At the lake a few miles from the den, Storr stopped and set his son down on
the grass. William came up and set Jim down beside Blair. the two cubs
placed their attention on their fathers.
"It is time for you to learn what it means to be a Prince of the Pack,
Blair." Storr said.
"To protect the unicorns." Blair said proudly.
Storr looked at his son, "Mostly, young Blair. To that end, we have made
the
Bond. In a few months you will be old enough. Simon will create the Bond
between you and Jim, and I will name you my Heir."
"But first, you must learn to hunt, and to guard. Come with me."
Storr
turned and walked along the lake edge. The two cubs struggled to keep up.
Through the bushes they came upon a unicorn mare, and Simon.
Simon bobbed his head in greeting to the Storr, then turned his attention to
the mare.
The beautiful salmon colored mare was standing with her legs splayed and
quivering, her head nearly touching the ground. A spasm seemed to catch her,
and the mare groaned. Simon nuzzled the female's rounded belly as the spasm
tore through her then subsided.
It took nearly an hour, but finally the sac with its precious cargo was free
of the mare's body. Simon tore into the sac, and the cubs watched in
fascination as the little black colt struggled to stand on wobbly legs. the
mare nuzzled the colt until the little one could stand, then the colt made
its way to his mother's teat and began to suckle its first taste of mother's
milk.
"Congratulations, Simon." Storr said. "He is a fine son."
"Thank you, Storr."
Finally the afterbirth was expelled, and William went forward at the scent.
Simon stepped away as the Great Cat gripped the afterbirth in his jaws, and
swallowed it whole. Shuddering in disgust, Simon turned his head away from
the sight and focused on the two cubs.
Jim was stalking the little colt, moving with his belly low to the ground,
fascinated by the newborn unicorn colt. Blair, naturally curious, and full
of energy, bounded forward, disrupting Jim's stalking, and running full tilt
into colt's hind hoof. The colt, startled, turned to see the little grey cub
lying with four little paws in the air, and the black cub laughing.
Curious, the little colt nosed the wolf pup, and sniffled him, which made
the cub laugh. "That tickles." Blair said.
Twitching his little raven ears, the colt continued to sniffle the grey cub.
When Jim got into range, the colt shifted his attention.
"Darryl, you can play later. Finish your food." Simon said. Darryl
looked up
at the black stallion that was his father, then turned to his mother, who
nuzzled him.
Storr, and William quickly picked up their respective cubs, and left the
area. Storr had no doubt in his mind that his son and the colt would become
good friends.
Simon watched them leave, then sighed. Storr would be angry if he knew that
Simon had seen young Blair's future. The gift of oracling only hit a unicorn
once in his life. that was how the Prophecy came about. Most were about
their own lives, or about the lives of their own children, but there had
been a few that had managed to shake the foundations of Third Earth, and
Simon knew that his would be one.