Alex woke up groggily, and realized instantly she had tossed and turned a lot more in her sleep than she usually did. She was also covered in a cold sweat, and she took off her glasses to rub the sleep from her eyes. As she rubbed her eyes, the dream she had been having came back to her, Calling it a dream was a bit of a stretch, it was more like a nightmare. A terrifying nightmare. She wasn't sure exactly what it had been about, but she did remember a bright light shining onto her, and it burned, and all around her was destruction, and pain, and sorrow...
But that was all that would come to her memory, and she slipped her glasses back on and looked around. Instantly, she had to force herself to stifle a scream that almost escaped her throat. Standing just a few feet away from her at the entrance to the little shack was a creature unlike any she had seen before. It was comparable to a deer, but it was unlike any deer Alex had ever seen before. Its shoulders were about six feet off the ground, setting its head much higher than Alex's. Where a deers nose would be though, was a long trunk, stretching almost down to the ground. It looked very strong, Alex thought, as she could see the muscles in it tensing and relaxing periodically. It did have antler on its head, like a deer, but the antlers emitted a small silvery glowing light. Alex didn't know if the light was coming from the antlers themselves or was just a reflection of the sunlight off the shiny white bone, but it was an eerie sight to behold. Its eyes were a dark blood red, but they didn't look mean. They almost looked curious. Unlike a deer's chestnut fur, this creatures fur was jet black, and glossy. It had a long, swooshy tail as well, and all in all, it was a terrifying sight to see to someone who wasn't expecting it.
It was staring directly at Alex, as if it was trying to figure out what she was doing in its home. Alex backed away from it as quickly as she could until she felt the hard wood of the wall behind her, and she looked around for any sign of the bush. Remarkably, it was nowhere to be found, and Alex found its absence to be disconcerting. The bush had been with her ever since she had stumbled into this strange new world, and without it, she felt even more alone than she truly was.
But there were more important matters at hand right now. Like a strange deer elephant hybrid that looked possibly deadly with its strangely powerful looking trunk. It took a step toward her and Alex pressed herself even closer to the wall, if that were even possible. Then, the strange creature's ears perked up, and it looked around. It turned and ran back out the open door it had come through, and Alex felt herself relaxing. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly forced herself to her feet. By her feet, she felt some wriggling in the straw she had used as a bed, and she jumped, but it was just the bush emerging from where it had been hiding before. Alex smiled at its familiarity and bent down to pick it up, breathing in its soft freshness.
She approached the archway leading to the rest of the fenced in area she had climbed into earlier, and peered outside into the bright sunlight. She could see the small house still, just about twenty yards away from where she was now. Beyond the house was the same blank emptiness she had seen earlier, the great green plains stretching on forever as far as Alex could tell. On the far side of the fence, close to the house, the odd deer elephant with glowing antlers stood, its head bowed low to the ground, grazing on the green grass, and being pet by an old
woman.
The woman had red hair, in the process of being faded to grey, and deep wrinkles in her aged face. However, she had a happy, blissful look about her, as if she could think of nothing she would rather be doing then standing here today, petting a freakish looking deer. She was wearing a long dress, like the woman Alex saw earlier, only this woman's dress looked more traditional and colorful, and the apron was missing.
"I see you met Nightshade," the old woman spoke to Alex without looking up at her, and Alex felt the bush wriggle in her arms to jump down and play in the grass. Well, if the bush trusted her...
"Is... that its name?" Alex asked, approaching the woman.
"Her name," she corrected her, but not in a derogatory way.
"She's beautiful," Alex commented, and in the bright sunlight, Alex was surprised to see she was telling the truth. It's sleek black coat glistened in the crisp spring air, and its antlers still gave off that same hazy glow. Up close, Alex saw that unlike a deer, this thing didn't have hooves, but instead, it had large paws, similar to a large wolf. Its mouth was positioned under its massive trunk, like an elephants, but it didn't seem to be using its trunk to eat like an elephant does. It was grazing like a horse, its trunk lying on the ground, but still flexing its muscles occasionally, and Alex knew it was prepared to strike.
"Yes," the old lady responded happily. "She's the last of her herd. Maybe even the last of her kind. No one else has seen a living unicorn in ages."
"Unicorn?!?" Alex gasped. "That's not a unicorn."
The lady looked at Alex for the first time, a piercing gaze, and Alex found herself being picked apart by the woman's emerald green eyes that Alex found mystifying.
"And what makes you say that this isn't a unicorn?" She asked Alex, again, not in a way that made her sound superior, but in a way that made Alex feel like the woman was genuinely interested in her answer.
"Well..." Alex tried to explain herself. "Unicorns are supposed to be white, not black for one thing. And they're supposed to have one horn on the top of their head, and this thing has antlers."
Just then, Alex saw the creature raise its head and look at her with the woman, both of them staring her down, and it gave Alex the distinct impression that the creature could understand her.
"And I suppose you've seen a lot of unicorns in your day, have you?" the old lady asked
seriously.
"Well..." Alex began. "Not in person, but in books and movies and things like that."
The old lady stared at her just a bit more, then turned back to her unicorn, resuming her petting.
"Well, I'll tell you right now, this is a unicorn," the woman said. "I don't know where you heard that unicorns are white, but that's a load of bull if I've ever heard one. Unicorns come in all sorts of colors, not just white. And as for the horn, Nightshade here has got a horn. If you'll look a little closer, you'll see that what you thought was antlers is a horn. Their connected."
Alex did steal a glance and saw that the woman was right. Where the antlers connected to the head, they did indeed come together. So those weren't antlers, they were horn.
"Oh..." Alex said thoughtfully, then gasped as she realized what this meant. "This is a unicorn? A real, live unicorn?"
"Maybe even the last unicorn alive," the lady replied. "I can't be too sure about that one, but I know they're an endangered species, and this one here'd be dead if it weren't for me. I went out and rescued her myself from the fields out there where her herd lived. Poachers, after their horns. It's a terrible deed to cut off a unicorn's horn. Their awful wise creatures, unicorns, and they can be very vengeful. That's why whenever one gets their horn cut off, their usually killed too, so the unicorn won't come after them for revenge.
"But enough about unicorns," the lady said, spinning around to face Alex. "Are you going to tell me why it is you're sleeping in my barn?"
Alex debated. She could tell the woman the truth, but who knew what that would bring. Lying would be easier, and safer, but Alex couldn't think of any lie this woman would believe. She was out of her element in this strange world. She decided to go with the truth, but not all of it.
"I was lost," Alex said slowly. "Running from a man in armor. He scared me, so I ran, and I got lost. I came here and I saw your... erm... your barn, and I went in just to rest for a little, but then I fell asleep."
"And what were you doing to make a member of the Royal Guard come chasin' after you?"
"I don't know," Alex said truthfully. "I was just walking around and he began chasing after me. I panicked and ran."
"A good thing you did too," the woman responded. "The Royal Guard doesn't play around. I would imagine it was probably you're strange attire that attracted his attention, if you really haven't done anything wrong."
"I haven't," Alex insisted. "I don't even really know where I am. I got separated from my... my friends, and I'm supposed to meet them back in town around noon."
"Noon, eh?" The lady replied. "Well, you've got about an hour and a half before that rolls around. How about you come in and have some breakfast, and we can discuss what I'm gonna do about you breaking and entering onto my property."
Alex blanched at the thought of that, and her head immediately swiveled around to find the quickest way to the gate.
"Runnin' won't do ya no good," the lady said, smiling. "Ain't never was a human that could outrun a unicorn."
Alex looked back at the woman and tried to figure out what she was playing at. She didn't seem hostile, or even the smallest bit upset at her for sleeping in her barn, but didn't she just threaten her?
The lady headed towards the back door of the house. "Come on in. I'm Marissa by the way."
Alex swallowed and followed after her, eyeing the unicorn warily. The bush stopped playing in the grass and followed Alex inside. Marissa shut the door behind them.
"Now," Marissa said, sitting down at a table already set for two. "There are a few questions I'd like to ask you seriously, and I expect you to answer them honestly. I'll know if yer lyin' too, so it won't do you know good to try."
Alex didn't know why, but she believed this strange lady. Instead of answering though, Alex picked up a fork and began eating the eggs in front of her. She knew she wasn't supposed to eat anything given to her by a stranger, but she was starving, and it smelled delicious. Surprisingly, it tasted delicious as well, and Alex finished her plate in just a few minutes.
"You ready to answer some questions now?" asked Marissa, seeing that Alex had finished her plate.
"Yeah, I suppose so..." Alex reluctantly agreed.
"Good," was Marissa's reply. She stood and took the dishes over to a sink with a window over it, providing a beautiful view of the gently sloping plains outside. "Where are you from?"
Alex snapped out of the daze she had entered upon staring out the bright window. "Huh?"
"Where are you from?" Marissa repeated, turning to face Alex.
"Oh..." Alex's heart sunk. The one question she didn't want to have to answer. "Look... Marissa. You seem very friendly and nice, and you have a very beautiful home, and I told you I wouldn't lie, so I won't. But I can't answer that question. For one thing, it's a very complicated
story. For another, I doubt you would believe the truth."
There was silence for a few moments, and Alex held her breath, hoping Marissa would accept her answer.
"All right," Marissa finally agreed, and Alex let out her breath. "I believe you. Now, where did you find that hedgehog?"
"Hedgehog?" Alex repeated slowly as the bush jumped into her lap. "What are you talking about?"
"The hedgehog," Marissa said plainly, sitting down again. "The one in your lap."
Alex looked down. A hedgehog? That's what this was?
"Don't tell me you don't know what a hedgehog is?" Marissa said, dumbfounded. "Hot damn girl, you've had that thing with you since you got here, and you didn't even know what it is?"
"I told you," Alex said bitterly. "I'm not from around here." There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, and then Alex decided to ask a question. "So... what is a hedgehog? Like, what all do you know about them?"
Marissa smiled and held out her hand to the little green fuzzy bush in Alex's lap and let it sniff her. "I know a lot about them, my family used to grow them."
"You... grew them?" Alex clarified.
"Of course," Marissa replied. "They are plants, you know. They live, and breathe, and move, and eat, but they're still plants. When a hedgehog reaches maturity, it begins shedding its berries, which then fall to the ground and, if buried and tended, will grow into a new, baby hedgehog. When a baby hedgehog reaches early childhood, it detaches itself from its roots and begins to move around. When a hedgehog's last berry falls, it dies. I'd say the one you've got there is about a year old. How you got it to go around you, I have no idea. Normally hedgehogs are very territorial and defensive against intruders. They're excellent judges of character though, and can easily tell a good person from a bad one. And it's not just limited to people. They can immediately tell when something is good or bad. That's what makes them so useful to adventurers, they're able to discern traps, or bad situations without even trying. They usually stay in their natural habitats though... Where did you find this one?"
"A forest," Alex replied. "I'm not sure where it is, but it was a beautiful forest. It followed me out, and when I tried to bring it back, I couldn't find it again."
"Well, it doesn't seem unhappy, so whatever you're doing with it, it likes you, and that's a great accomplishment from a hedgehog.
Alex smiled inwardly and rubbed the bush, feeling its warmth.
"So..." Marissa said, breaking the silence. "Nightshade is telling me there's more to you than you're letting on."
"Nightshade is... telling you?" Alex questioned.
"I told you unicorns are wise. They can communicate through a sort of telepathy. It's hard to explain, but a unicorn has to really trust you before it lets you enter its mind. But Nightshade keeps telling me there's more to you than either you or I know, and she refuses to let me know anything else."
"Oh," Alex said, thinking of nothing else she could say to that.
"There's some sort of prophecy that has to do with you," Marissa said, looking at Alex curiously. "Something you're to play a part in. Me too. She says I'm supposed to help you."
"Help me?" Alex asked, not quite following what Marissa was saying. "How?"
"I don't know," Marissa said wearily. "Do you need help?"
Alex opened her mouth to say no, then shut it again. "Actually..." she began, "I could use some clothes to help blend in. And directions back to town."
Marissa stood. "Well, follow me then. I might have something that will fit you. I doubt it will be in style, but it will fit and you won't be so conspicuous."
Alex followed her through a hallway and into the back of her house, where they entered what looked like a spare bedroom. It didn't look to be used very often, anyway. Marissa opened a drawer and took out a dress. It was long and plain, a dark grey color. Alex took it from Marissa's outstretched hand and draped it over her clothes she was wearing already. She thought it made her look like something out of TV Land, or maybe a pilgrim, but it did its job and made her look normal... well, compared to the rest of the people in this world.
"Thank you," Alex said to Marissa once they had returned to the fenced in back yard.
"You're welcome," she smiled kindly. "I think I would've helped you even without Nightshade's persistence. You do seem like a very kind young woman. And even though you won't tell me your story, and I don't know what's to come for you, I have this distinct feeling that this isn't the last time we'll meet."
"I know what you mean," Alex replied. "You've been very helpful, I'm really glad to have met you. Um... I'm Alex by the way." She blushed, realizing Marissa still didn't know her name.
"Same to you. Now, do you see these plains?" Marissa gestured outward toward the great green broad fields stretching out for miles, ignoring Alex's embarrassment at her rudeness. "These are the Endless Fields. They're called that because no one who's ever gone into them without a map or a guide has ever returned from them. The endless plains cover almost all of Earth, and you'll want to avoid them at all costs. Remember that, as it's the only knowledge I have to give you besides the way back into town."
Alex nodded and looked at the beautiful plains, but this time with apprehensive fear.
"The city you came out of is Enigmous, the largest city in Earth. Its street system is nothing but a large grid though, so getting anywhere in it is ridiculously easy. All you have to do is walk in a straight line from any of the outer edges of the city and you'll eventually reach one of the two main streets, follow either of them to reach the center. Sound easy enough?"
"Yes," Alex said thoughtfully. "Thank you again so much for your help."
For some reason, and Alex didn't know why, but saying goodbye to Marissa made her sad. She'd only met her an hour ago, but she was the first person she'd met in this world, and she was so friendly and helpful. She wanted to give her a hug, but thought that would be a bit strange, so instead, Alex waved as she turned and began walking away.
She climbed over the fence and stepped up to the street from which she had emerged early that morning. She felt a sudden strangeness in her mind, like a tingling, and images flashed through her mind briefly. Green fields, wide trees, crisp, clear skies. For some reason, the resulting message Alex received from them was 'good luck.'
She turned around and saw that Marissa had gone back inside, but Nightshade was watching her carefully. Alex didn't know how she knew, but she could tell it was the unicorn that had just sent her the message, and she felt a warmth in her heart from it.
Together, Alex and the hedgehog entered the street and began walking to meet Jason and Ben.
