Unicorn: Journey Beyond Forever

By Setlu Vairst

The unicorns had the best of reasons for not taking refuge in the Ark. The sacrifice would have been unbearable, even more so than the sacrifices to come. They had a destiny with a fate not of their choosing but held on to a promise of hope for survival. In a race to keep above the rising waters a temporary sanctuary is found but, unknown to the unicorns, this place of safety is a pathway to a new land that will have them confront their greatest fear; the loss of a loved one.
With a destiny to be fulfilled, a young unicorn must make a journey to a place called Essilon but there is the ever-present evil of the humans who are seeking out all beasts and destroying them. Essilon is to be the final stand of the beasts against the rampaging humans.
The unicorn finds that the struggle to reach the place is a battle in itself, but he is not alone in believing his destiny lies in reaching Essilon before the final battle commences. Why, he has no idea - his companions seem to know more about him than he does himself. If the young Unicorn can reach Essilon, will he, as he hopes, be reunited with his parents, or will he never learn their fate? And if he does survive, what then? That will not be the end, but merely the beginning....

• Language: English
• Publisher: Setlu Vairst
• Release date: May 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310001536

Setlu Vairst

Setlu Vairst released the first book from The Occasion Mists series in December 2013. 'Unicorn - Journey Beyond Forever' is the story of a young unicorn's journey to a place where he may be reunited with his parents and where a final battle with the evil humans will take place.There are eight completed works ready to be released in the coming months. Book 2 in the series 'Danny and the Seagull Who Came Back... From The Dead! was released on the 22 December 2013 and the third book will be published in the coming weeks.Born in Hanover, Germany, raised in Glasgow, and currently residing in the North of England, Setlu is currently concentrating on releasing the remainder of the completed works in preparation for returning to the other books from the series. There are currently four other works in progress and others planned.Setlu lives with his wife, youngest son and three dogs, and so the 'writing' environment can be noisy and hectic at times.His current ambition is to have a 'room' off the beaten track where he has space to leave notes about the stories safely scattered around and does not have to go hunting for where he 'thinks' he last left his notes.http://www.setluvairst.com

Book preview

And God looked upon the Earth, and, beheld, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the Earth.

And God said unto Noah. The end of all flesh is come before me; for the Earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the Earth.

Make thee an Ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the Ark; and shall pitch it within and without with pitch.

And of everything living of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the Ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shalt be male and female.

Genesis 6 verses 12, 13, 14 and 19.

~~~~

Exodus I – The Missing Passengers

The sun bore heavily down upon the tired, wizened face of Noah as he gazed out upon the dry, red desert lands.  With the hot breeze massaging his temples, he kept his breathing shallow to ease the burning air from his lungs.  Soon, he must take a drink of water.

The work upon the Ark had been complete some three weeks before and all of the chosen animals had now surrendered to the future safety granted by the Ark.  That is, all of the chosen animals were aboard except for two, the unicorns.

Laranki and his wife, Soreecilor, had not yet arrived and Noah had begun to worry for their safety.  The world was now a treacherous place for all animals and Noah feared that the two unicorns might have run into some marauding human band that sought their horns as trophies.  The humans would not rest in their quest to obtain a unicorn horn.

Shaking his head slowly, Noah was trying to remove the visions within that reminded him of the evil that had been, and still was being carried out by humankind.  He could not believe the things that humans would do, even though he had seen so many of these barbaric acts with his own eyes.

Raising his head once more, Noah was squeezing his eyelids partially together, his eyes fighting against the sun, searching the barren landscape for any sign of the two unicorns.

Across the desert, he could see the nearby hills and, beyond, the hazy silhouettes of the not too distant mountains.  The background noises to these sights were of the sounds of a multitude of animals that waited patiently, though some were panicky, within the uncertain safety of the Ark.  Other sounds, which Noah could occasionally hear, were being made by his three sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and their three wives.  They were all at work tending to the beasts and making the final preparations for the voyage they would all soon undertake.

Noah thought of all the animals on board the Ark and was puzzled as to why one of their brothers and sisters seemed so intent on missing the boat.

Noah knew that God himself had informed all the creatures that were to be given sanctuary upon the Ark, the location of the Ark and a time to be there; it was their duty to ensure that they made their way to the Ark by the predetermined time.

God had given Noah his instructions on how to assemble the Ark, the size it should be, and the layout of the rooms within.  He had told Noah of the foods to collect, the amounts, and where it should be placed within the Ark.

‘All the frantic preparation and now this agonising waiting…’ thought Noah.

The incessant heat began to burn into Noah’s brow and he began gently dabbing his forehead with a cloth, absorbing the sweat and cooling himself slightly and, even though it appeared to be a waste of time, it gave Noah something to be physically doing while he waited for the unicorns, and for the rains.

Sighing, Noah felt it was time for him to move back below the decks and give aid to his wife, and sons, and daughter-in-laws for, although everything was ready and the Great Flood was awaited, Noah insisted that he and his family checked everything again, and again.  When the Great Flood eventually came, there would be no chance to fix anything, no time to make final adjustments; everything had to be right, everything had to be strong, secure, and working correctly.

Stepping down from the ladder that he used to see out across the side of the Ark, Noah paused when a figure in the desert caught his attention.  It was the male unicorn, Laranki.  Placing a foot back upon the highest rung, Noah stretched himself upwards, with one hand extended across his heated brow as he peered, squinting against the sunlight, across the sand to where he had caught a glimpse of the motionless unicorn.

Staring, his eyes fighting against the blinding sun, he saw the unicorn move a little closer toward the Ark but the unicorn stopped, seeming agitated with his head moving warily from side to side.

The unicorn was too far away for Noah to call to him, and Noah wondered, ‘Why is the unicorn alone?’

Across the shimmering sand, Noah could see that the unicorn seemed of silver as his beautiful white coat seemed to sparkle in the gruelling heat of the day.  The unicorn began advancing slowly, coming to a halt once again, with his face gazing up toward Noah.

Beginning to call out to the unicorn, Noah saw that the comfort and calm that he expressed in his voice seemed to encourage the unicorn, for the beast edged himself a little closer to the side of the Great Ark and, eventually, the unicorn was standing close enough to the Ark that Noah could easily see how tense and nervous the unicorn was.

Continuing to stare at the unicorn, Noah decided that it was trying to gather the strength and courage to come closer still, but it was obvious that the unicorn was failing in this task as he raised his head, snorting, and moved a few paces backwards. 

By nature, unicorns were nervous creatures but there were so many more of God’s creatures which, by nature, were also fearful.  ‘Other timid creatures have already come aboard.  Why was the unicorn behaving this way?’ Noah asked himself. 

Seeing no reason for the unicorn to be anxious when he was this close to the Ark, he thought, ‘What was the unicorn afraid of?  If he and his wife do not get aboard quickly then it is going to be too late, for the unicorns will surely perish when the promised rains  take their fatal grip upon the lands.’

Laranki had moved very close, and Noah could see a very worried expression upon the great beasts face.

Feeling fearful for the safety of the beast, Noah decided that he should lower the ramp to allow the male unicorn to come aboard the Ark.  ‘Perhaps the female unicorn was only a little distance behind Laranki and she too would be arriving soon.’

This thought gave no comfort to Noah because, in truth, he knew of the great love that bonded unicorns had for each other.  Unicorns were famed for their love for one another.

Moving quickly and yet with the frailty offered to bones of such an age, Noah headed towards the ladder which descended from the rear section of the Ark.  Swinging a leg across the side of the boat, his foot sought out the top rung of the ladder.  If he could get to the ground quickly enough, and get around the side to try to find out what was ailing the unicorn, then he may yet save the beasts but even as his foot rested upon the topmost rung he became aware of shouting and yelling from nearby.

A crescendo of unwanted sounds came welling into his ears, as he recognised a disturbance in the air that he knew so very well.

Gazing down at the small crowd that had gathered upon the desert floor, not far from the ladder that he rested upon, Noah began looking amongst them, seeing faces of ones that once he had called friends.  Now these friends jeered and scoffed at Noah and his family, and called them fools.  Continuing ignoring them, as he had always done since he had first begun his work upon the construction of the Ark, he moved quickly back towards the side of the Ark.  He was saddened to see a dust-cloud that hid the receding figure of the frightened unicorn, as the beast ran out into the desert, fleeing from the human rabble that had descended upon the Ark.

In anger, Noah ran back to the rear of the ship and, with evident annoyance in his voice, he shouted down at the human crowd.

Go home; there is nothing for you here.  Leave me and my family alone.

A crash beside him, suddenly startling him, heralded the arrival of a container that had been thrown toward him.  Made of crude pottery, it smashed against the side of the Ark, showering Noah with broken shards and wine. 

‘The fools below are as drunk as ever and have come to the Ark for a little self-made fun because they were bored with their own little lives,’ thought Noah.

Go away, shouted Noah, pulling broken pottery shards from his long white beard, feeling the wetness of the wine that lay there also.

A strong arm came around Noah’s waist and, looking upward, he gazed into the features of his son, Japeth, who stood shaking his fist at the mob below, cursing them, and causing another barrage of pottery and sticks to come hurling towards the upper deck of the Ark.  They all struck the side of the vessel and bounced harmlessly from it, before falling back towards the crowd.

Japeth, untying the ladders restraints, pushed it away, watching it topple towards the crowd who, scattering, began hurling more abuse at the Ark.  The voices of the crowd were becoming louder and Noah began to become concerned for the safety of the beasts upon the Ark.  The animals also became frightened and nervous when a crowd came from the town, and it always took Noah and his family a lot of effort to get them calm again.  With the ladder, pushed from the Ark by Japeth, now broken into many parts, it was now being hurled back at the Ark piece by piece.  Taking a firmer hold on Noah’s arm, Japeth tried to lead him away from the side of the Ark and into the inside.

No, my son, I must wait here.  I must await the unicorns, argued Noah.

I can do that, father.  You must have rest, Japeth replied.

Your body, and your strength, can do more inside.  Go back to work, my son.  I will await the unicorns, said Noah, determinedly.

Looking at the tired and weary eyes of his father, Japeth could still see in them the strength to win at all that he chose.

Wiping away some of the wine that had splashed upon his father’s beard, he said, I will bring you some food...

Noah nodded, watching Japeth turn and begin climbing back down through the tightly thatched hatchway that led into the Ark itself.

Returning his gaze to the desert, Noah continued watching, intently, for any other sign of the unicorns.  Against the blinding sunlight, he could only faintly make out the faraway mountains and hills.  The unicorn had left no footprints in the sand to show that he had ever been there.

Knowing that untrue, because he knew the footprints must be there, he cursed the sun and his failing eyesight because he could not see them clearly.

Letting out another sigh, and ignoring the drunken fools below, Noah continued gazing out across the sun scorched desert in the direction from which the unicorn had first emerged.  He still had hopes of seeing a sign of the unicorns; some sight that would give him hope and faith in the guaranteed return of the unicorn, and of the unicorn’s mate.

The sun grew hotter, continuing to pour its unrelenting heat down upon the land and, from the sand below, the relentless jibes and the occasional crash of a thrown object, reminded Noah of why God was going to bring the Great Flood upon the Earth.

The scent of a burning carcass rose up through the hot, humid air, and Noah knew that the barbaric humans were preparing a feast.

Sighing, he knew that the people from the town were going to be down beside the Ark for many, many hours to come and, from inside the Ark, Noah could hear the scared calling of the beasts and he wondered, ‘What can be done if the humans start a fire beside the Ark?’

~~~~

Exodus II – Death and Life

Slowing down his pace a little, Laranki was grateful to give his tired body a modest rest.  He had had to run, fast, away from Noah, for fear of being seen by the group of humans.  They were gathering at the rear of the Ark and he had approached to nearly within twenty body lengths from them knowing that, if just one of them had come around to the side of the Ark and had caught him off guard with one of their evil weapons, then that would have been the end of his life, and of his wife’s, surely.

Laranki had no fear of Noah, or his family, for God had instructed both himself and his wife to make their way to the Ark and they were to know that Noah and his family were friends to all animals and that they would give the unicorns sanctuary when the Great Flood came.

With the hot sun burning down ferociously upon the land, and its brightness partially blinding him, there had been occasions when he had almost stumbled and fell to the ground as he had raced away from the Ark.  To fall in the sand would surely be a disaster for him.  He did not like the sand, it was different from the ground in the land that he came from, and he knew that should he fall in this sea of tiny stones flecks, then there was every chance that he would not be able to get himself back onto his feet.  Injury to himself he could not, and should not, be risking at this time.

Heading back toward his temporary home, a home amid rocks and crags, which served as a refuge for him and his wife to hide in this barbaric land, he began concentrating solely upon his wife and of the things that he must do for her.  It was so much harder to exist here than in the plentiful forests that he and his wife had once dwelt within.  It was now his sole responsibility to find all that they required in this wilderness for survival, and it was this task that was weighing heavy upon him.

It seemed so long ago that they had last had plentiful water, abundant fruit, and many vegetables.  ‘We have travelled far, my wife and I, to reach this barbaric land that is so lacking in water, and now I fear that we will be too late to reach the Ark before the Great Flood arrives.’

Laranki was angry with himself, for this was the second time that he had set out to give word to Noah, to tell him of their impossible situation, and the decision that they had made together.  The decision that was, ‘to not accept the safety offered by the Ark.’

They were hoping that, in the doing of this, Noah himself might devise a plan to rescue them, for they had little hope of being able to rescue themselves.

Laranki felt that he could have told Noah this time, had the crowd of humans not appeared at that particular moment but he could not have waited around the area, in case any of the humans had caught sight of him.  Unicorns were not safe from the cruel desires of humans and their trophy hunting and humans, as a rule, were to be avoided at every possible occasion.

Laranki had newly discovered that he held a great dislike for the humans and wished that he and his wife had never had to make the journey to this place but, they were chosen by God, and they knew that they would do his bidding.

The thought of human monsters bolstered his speed a little, and he knew that it important that he kept his pace up until he was at least lost amongst the rocky hills and slopes.  In the desert, it would be easy for him to be seen and tracked, but the rocks and slopes that he was heading toward gave him, and his wife, some protection from the prying eyes of the dreaded humans.

He began cursing himself for being away so long, and for failing in his task of speaking with Noah.  Suddenly, he was brought from his reverie by the sight of a motionless lizard lying directly in his path, its eyes locked onto some insect, some possible meal.  Rearing, as he tried to swerve to avoid the lizard, Laranki saw the lizard suddenly realise the immediate danger to it, and saw it try to race out of harm’s way.

However, in instinctively running, it ran almost directly below the falling hoofs of the unicorn.  The two, in trying to avoid an accident, had created one as the lizard took a glancing blow to the side of its small head.

Laranki, forcing himself to halt, sending a choking swirl of dust into the air around him, looked toward the lizard.  The unfortunate creature lay upon its back, with one of its rear legs twitching as it attempted to turn itself over, to get its fragile underside away from the deadly rays of the sun.  Laranki could see that the struggling was in vain, for there had been too much damage dealt to the poor, innocent creature and already Laranki could see a small amount of blood around the lizards face, as a dark patch began seeping onto the dry and thirsty sand.

Sighing deeply, Laranki stood looking down at the creature in sorrow and compassion.  Flinching a little, the lizard rolled its eyes, turning them upon him.  He could not understand the lizard but he could understand the eyes, with their pain, their agony, their fear...  And, even as Laranki was watching the dying creature, he saw the arrival of a solitary insect that had found its way to the mortally wounded lizard.

‘Soon,’ he thought, ‘this insect will be joined by more as the scent of blood makes itself known to their senses.’

In his mind’s eye, he had wished he had not tried to avoid the lizard and that the lizard would have made its own escape, as he tried to picture a scene that had a more favourable outcome.  Knowing that this would not help the lizard in any way, Laranki stood staring deep into the eyes of the lizard as he recalled the words that God had spoken to himself, to his wife, and to all living creatures.

The end of all flesh is before me... and, hearing these words again, Laranki realized that the lizard would now be saved from a greater, even more, terrifying fate.

Insects, gathering around the dying lizard, had now begun to feast and so, in a reflex action, Laranki brought up his great hoof and brought it crashing down upon the lizard’s head.  Bone snapped and life rushed cleanly away.  ‘The insect’s feast would now be a painless experience for the lizard,’ Laranki said to himself, hating himself for what he had to do.

Watching the broken body of the creature being hidden from sight by the jostling insects, Laranki thought to himself, ‘It is better this way, little one, than for you to endure the vicious bites of the insects tearing away at your very flesh and life,’  wondering, as he did so, if it were really true.

Hearing the buzzing sounds from the wings of the tiny insects as they flew into the air and chose another place to land upon the body of the dead creature, Laranki began to walk away, with sadness and pity hanging over him, and as dark as the clouds that would come to destroy the Earth with rain.

Quickening his pace, thoughts of the unfortunate lizard had to be forgotten as his mind returned to the attentions of his wife.  He was nearing the place where he had left her and so, slowing his pace, he began looking around for signs of the evil humans.  He could not see any, but he knew that it did not mean that they were not there.  ‘If there is one thing that life has taught it is that, whether you can see them or not, humans are all around you, they are everywhere... like a plague.’

With his eyes scouring the nearby hills and rocks as he moved onward, his eyes were trying to pierce the very rocks themselves as he sought to see through them, to see his wife on the other side, and to know that all was well with her.

Beginning to fear for her safety, he thought, ‘I should not have left her.’  He began cursing himself now, as he began to race forward, his energies returned and his tiredness forgotten, because his heart commanded it so.  A dust cloud was racing along behind him in the places where he ran across bare sand amongst the rocky outcrops.  He was a small tornado weaving his way amidst the rocks, sand, and stones.

He should have stayed with his wife.  ‘There was no need to tell Noah that we would not be turning up to seek sanctuary upon the Ark,’ he thought to himself.  ‘By just not turning up, Noah would have realised that something was wrong and, perhaps, he could have come and taken us to the safety of the Great Ark.’

Approaching the last of the small, dry, pools of desert sand, he began climbing amongst the rocky slopes that littered the craggy rocks that were ahead of him.  His swollen throat ached for a long drink of cooling water, as he was feeling weak, knowing that he had been hiding just how little strength he had left.  He had stood for too long in the piercing heat when he had been trying to gain Noah’s attention.

Up and over the sand covered rocks he went, past the odd scrub bush and, at one point, past an abandoned wheel from one of the wooden carriages that were so often used in the desert by the humans from the villages.

Clearing a small ridge, he cantered down a well-worn trail into a small, flat clearing amidst the rocks.  The trail was abundant with the soft, white, silky sand that Laranki detested so much.  It was awkward to move through and it slowed him greatly and progress through it used by more of his already depleted energies.

Reaching the near centre of a clearing, his senses alerted him to a danger, his nostrils drawing in the air and trying to determine any recognisable scents.

He stood as quietly as possible, allowing any scents to make themselves known to him and, from somewhere amongst the scents, he recognised the one that he feared the most.  His skin began to crawl as fear began caressing his bones, with his mind drawing him an image of what those smells told him.  ‘There are humans nearby.’

A strange sound came to his ears, and his mind immediately began recalling visions of what had happened two days earlier, when he and Soreecilor had a pack of humans chasing them.  Fortunately, the humans had given up their chase, for Laranki and Soreecilor could not have kept up their own pace for much longer.

With the demise of the human’s efforts to catch them, they had slowed their pace but continuing to travel for as long as they could so they could place as much distance between themselves and their human pursuers.

Walking, for as long as they could, covering a great distance, had almost caused Soreecilor to collapse.  The journey was so much harder for her, for she was with child, and the child could arrive at any time, suddenly, and without warning.  A child would arrive that they would love so much that they would not be able to gain their refuge upon the Great Ark, for it had been made clear that only two of each species may enter the sanctuary of the Ark itself.

For days they continued their journey through the mountains, always heading towards the Ark in the hope that they might find a land of plenty where they, and their child, could spend a few simple days together.

Always seeking shelter on their journey, they often took refuge from hungry human eyes; away from deathly human wants.  ‘If we had known that the child might be born before we could reach the Ark, then we may have decided to remain in our forest home, and avoid the agony of travel and uncertainty.’

Attempting to return through the mountains, there was the chance that the child would be born on the return journey and, if that should happen while they crossed the mountain ranges themselves, then there would be little or no food for Soreecilor, himself, and their newborn.  There would only be coldness there, and that bitter wind would surely take the life of their child.

They had no choice but to remain where they were, surviving until the Flood came.

In his mind, he began recalling the tired face of his wife as she had urged him to keep going.  ‘She had been urging me!  She was so brave.’

Laranki’s heart filled with pride as he admired the heart within his wife.

Standing still, his tiredness had him thinking about things that were not to be thought about at this time, there was still the faint scent of humans in the air and he had to get back to his wife.

His eyes came to rest upon an insignificant looking darkness, a shadow caused by the overhanging of a great rock creeping out from the cliff face at which he stared.  His nostrils twitched, and he breathed deeply as he tried to determine what was lurking in that shadow.

Recognising the scent, he heard a whimpering cry from the shadow and forced a frantic effort from his tired legs, as he began running toward the source.  Racing forward, forsaking any immediate danger to himself, he headed toward the shadowed area.

Cursing his self again, knowing that if the human trophy hunters were there then he had no choice but to try to save his beloved Soreecilor but even before he reached the shade and saw his wife, he could see that she was alone, crying, Laranki, Laranki, as she called out to him.

Stopping beside her, he could see that she was in great pain.  What is wrong, wife? he questioned, after glancing around the immediate area for any sign of the humans.

Time; it is time, replied Soreecilor, her breathing deep, labouring, and guttural.

Looking dumbfounded, Laranki stood staring down at her, not understanding the hidden message in her painful reply.

Our child!  It is the time of our child, she said, stating the obvious that Laranki had not seen due to his concern about marauding humans.

He could see her eyes fixed upon his, as she saw him struggle to take in this information.  He stood there, shocked, unsure as to what he must do.  His wife leaned completely over onto her side and he could clearly see that she was hot, very hot and very tired.

Water, she said, feebly.

In his helplessness, Laranki was grateful to Soreecilor for giving him a task to do, something that he felt he could cope with, with ease.  A task that would not be bringing him anything too complicated to dwell upon for his mind was constantly pre-occupied with Noah, the Ark, and his wife’s condition, that he seemed to be having some difficulties doing tasks that should be simple.

Soreecilor spoke again, bringing Laranki’s mind back to the here and now, Help me, Laranki, please help stop the pains…

Nuzzling her and then giving her a forceful, but gentle nudge, Laranki was letting Soreecilor know that, in his own helpless way, he was here beside her, ready to do anything even though there was nothing that he could do for her.  Staring down into Soreecilor’s deep, dark eyes, he could see the pain she was in and, looking even deeper into her eyes, he could see the love she was in.

I need water, Soreecilor said, adding, Just a little.  It will help me and the child.

Realising that he had already been asked to get water, Laranki felt even more foolish, believing he was letting his wife down.  ‘Concentrate,’ he thought, ‘Concentrate on what is important now.’

I’ll be back, said Laranki as, leaning forward he began licking his wife’s face, lapping around both her eyes and the tip of her mouth.  The look in her face showed him the urgency of the request.

Stay here, he said, immediately feeling stupid for issuing such an order.  ‘For where on Earth could she go in her present condition?’ he asked himself.

Racing off, heading back across the clearing through the silky white sand and over the rocks, Laranki was pulling on his last reserves of energy to help do this one small thing for his wife.  Galloping towards the waterhole, the sight of the water in his mind was all that he concentrated upon, and he used it as a lure to take him towards his precious goal, ignoring his own failing strength.

After a short time, he was approaching the two large, oval shaped rocks that told him that the water hole was not too distant.  It was because of this water hole that he and his wife had decided to camp in this area, but they could not camp too close to the waterhole because they knew that it would attract other creatures.  Particularly, it would bring humans to it and so, with no other choice, they had found a place to hide that was far enough away from the waterhole that it should remain unobserved by casual human eyes.

It had come as a shock to them when they had reached this land for, even though they knew that their journey would be difficult, they had not expected this much hardship.  The lack of water here had almost crippled their journey, as did the lack of food.

Deserts, stretching endlessly, were things that both he and his wife had never even imagined to exist.  ‘How could we have thought that the world was anything but fertile forests, abundant with food, rivers, lakes, and life,’ Laranki thought.   Nevertheless, they had travelled here to climb aboard the Ark; the Great Ark and the sanctuary that it offered to them both.  They had endured much and, for much of their journey, they had been optimistic that they would reach the Ark before Soreecilor gave birth to their child.  Laranki believed that, if that could be achieved, then they all could be saved from the Great Flood that was to come.

They had feared the violent storms that became more common the further that they travelled from their forest home and, although the storms had been ferocious, they could not compare to the murderous rampage that seemed to have overtaken nearly all humans.  The humans were seeking out wild beasts, killing them with no concern for their own safety.

Laranki recalled Soreecilor saying, It is as if there is something more than the humans at work in the lands.  She had said this not long after they had parted ways with the two dragons who had helped them cross the raging river, which had held them trapped by the marauding human army.

Had the dragons not been able to carry them across the river then the humans would surely have slain them.

Shaking his head, Laranki was clearing the image there that showed him the picture of the two squirrels fighting for their lives in the raging river.

For a time, Laranki had believed that they would both fall to the weapons of the cruel humans and it was only Chart and Brand who had kept their spirits up, urging them forward in their tiny chattering voices and insisting that, no matter what happened, they did all that they could to remain out of sight of the humans.

There will be dragons, Brand had said.

Yes, Chart, his female companion had agreed, adding, And these Dragons will carry you to safety.  We only have to remain hidden from the humans until the Dragons arrive.

Why will the dragons help us? Laranki had asked.

Because Dragons are good, that is why, said Chart.  They were told of you a long time ago, and they will be here when the time is right.  The one called Kolay’sha will ensure that you are safe, and she will be the one that will carry Soreecilor to safety.

How can you know the name of this Dragon? Soreecilor asked.

We know many things, said Brand, And we need to, if we are to help you.

That, though, was before they had discovered that Soreecilor was further through her pregnancy than they had originally believed.  They could not board the Ark with a child and they could not leave their child behind; fate had played a cruel, twisted blow upon them.

After so many years of desiring a child of their own, their dearest wish had finally been granted, but only in the cruellest of circumstances.  There had been hope of a bright and wonderful future until the humans had ruined it all.  ‘The humans have ruined everything for every single living creature upon the face of the Earth for, with their evil ways, they have brought the wrath of God upon the world and all but a chosen handful of God’s children would ever be allowed to survive the catastrophe that was ordained.’