Username: UnicornTamer
Show Name: Let the Stars Fall Down
Barn Name: Forsong
Gender: Mare
Age: 5 years
Breed: Friesian sporthorse X TWH
Color: Smoky Sable dun champagne
Story: There was a local legend surrounding Unicorn Wishers Ranch of a unicorn that used to live in the forest where the ranch now stands. When I had bought the property some years ago, most of the trees had already been cut down, except for some huge, twisting willows in the far southern corner of the land. When I heard of the legend, I decided to name the ranch after the unicorn, though if it even ever existed, it must have been long-gone by then.
The part of the property with the ancient willows was an ideal place for the field for the horses to graze as the land is mostly flat and a little creek flows into property from the grove. I noticed that my horses liked congregating by the willows, and would never drink from the trough I set up in the field, but would rather quench their thirst in the creek, when it was running. Stormness, one of my Friesian stallions, especially liked hanging out by the grove. At first, I thought nothing of it. That is, until I noticed how robust and healthy all my horses became after I moved into the property. While my other ranching friends were always complaining about how one of their horses had colic or a strange rash or sprained their legs yet again, very few of my own horses actually came down with anything or had any accidents. I puzzled over this for a long time. I tried to take care of my animals as well as I could, but I knew from the horses I had before moving to Unicorn Wishers Ranch that never had they been so healthy.
One day, I was out in the field with Divinity, about to take her back to her stable. I had just buckled on her halter, when she lifted her head, eyes wide, ears pricked. Her whole body tensed. I ran a hand down her neck and clucked to her, but she ignored me. I looked to see what had caught her attention. She was staring at the willow grove, but I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. We both watched the trees for a long moment. Then I saw something flash between the trunks, something white and blue. Another moment, and then, as though watching a dream, between the hanging tendrils of the willow leaves, I saw it.
It was just a moment, a moment in time, when everything stopped. There was no sound, no time, nothing happened at all, except a tall, cream-colored creature with a silver horn stepping carefully through the grove to the creek. Blue and silver drapings covered its body, roses covered its hair and a strange light surrounded it. It knelt beside the water, touched it once with its horn, and then stood. It slowly turned its head and locked eyes with me. Suddenly, I became acutely aware of my breathing. It sounded unbearably loud in my ears. I blinked. The grove was dark and empty. I turned to Divinity. She was staring off at the fence, eyes half-closed, mouth slack. She looked bored. I led her out of the field, looking back at the willows once more.
When I returned to the stables, the creature I had seen felt nothing more than a daydream. The sunlight must have penetrated the willows and made the grove look other-worldly, and my imagination got away from me. Nothing more. I put Divinity away. When I came back out, Timothy was waiting for me. "Hey, a woman is here with a horse and wants to talk to you," he said. I nodded and went to the gate, wondering what this could be about. A middle-aged woman stood outside with a mare in tattered medieval tack. She looked like a rancher, but I had never seen her before. I thought I knew all the ranchers in these parts. I opened the gate.
"Hello and welcome to Unicorn Wishers Ranch. How may I help you?"
"Ah, yes," she began. She didn't look at me, but rather at the mare. "I believe this is yours."
I started. "Um, no." I examined the mare more closely. She looked a little like Genya with dark hair, but I could tell this horse had even better breeding than him. There was a highly intelligent gleam in her eyes and she stood like a queen next to the woman. The only thing that spoiled the effect was the tattered tack that made her look like she had just come out of a Renaissance Fair gone wrong. Even the roses in her mane and tail were wilted or dead. I noticed her elaborate bridle/head piece bore a long silver horn. I stared at it, then shook my head. "No, she's not mine."
The woman looked at me like I was crazy. "Really? Then what's this?" She pointed to a corner of the ripped blue fabric. I walked around to the side and stared. Embroidered into the cloth were the words "Unicorn Wishers Ranch." Even the unicorn-head logo was stitched below it. I couldn't form any words and just stared. "I found her wandering down the road a ways back and figured she must have escaped. Looks like she had quite the adventure."
I felt my mouth open automatically. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
I felt the woman place the reins in my hand and heard her walk away. After a long time, I finally straightened and led the mare into the ranch. I took off her tack, groomed her and found her a place in my stables. I didn't get rid of her worn-out tack, but washed it and stored it away, but not before going over it to untangle all the willow leaves from it. Those trees must have been a lot more prickly than I thought.
Whenever people ask me if I think that the legend of the unicorn is real, I think of my mare Forsong and smile, but I can't tell them anything for sure.
Extra: A little somthin' I drew . . .LINK me to something she or her tack remind you of: xXx
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
